At The Heart Of It All
by xo going nowhere
Summary: A friendship no one else can understand is the one thing that they've always clung to. But with times changing, it will either become something more or so much less. [Brooke and Lucas] [COMPLETE]
1. Saddest Girl Story

_Hey everybody! This time I decided I was going to try a different type of story, that veers completely off course from the show because… well, because its summer and we all need doses of our favorite characters! Lol. So here's my AU story!_

(( Note: I should mention that think of it this way: the characters are the same, but the relationships are completely different. The story will kind of unfold in itself, but I just want to make it clear that Brooke and Lucas never dated; Leyton never happened; Felix and Anna have lived in the town the whole time; Brooke and Felix **are** dating (eww, I know. Plot purposes lol); Peyton and Brooke aren't friends; Haley and Nathan aren't even dating yet…and you'll kind of figure out the rest. ))

Disclaimer: I own **NOTHING**, but if I did own One Tree Hill… let's just say that there'd be some big changes! Lol

**At The Heart Of It All**

_Chapter One_

Saddest Girl Story

The embers slowly faded away as the fire dwindled in the hearth. Quiet sobs hung in the air as the whimpering silhouette of a teenage girl shook in time with the sounds.

"You okay?" he asked hesitantly. Silence greeted his question, and he slid an arm around the quivering figure, hoping he wouldn't be rejected. Her body tensed, then relaxed into the hug, and he relaxed along with her. All was quiet for a minute…

"I thought he was… different. How could he use me? How could he use me?" she whispered brokenly, her tears soaking the sleeve of his t-shirt.

"Because he's an idiot, Brooke. He would have to be, not to see how great you are," he whispered back, the moment too delicate for average volume.

He stroked her hair, a move that she found comforting from him and only him. Comfort… that was what Brooke needed that night, and she could only find it from two things: Lucas Scott and ice cream. Tonight, she opted for the one that wouldn't make her fat. Ben & Jerry's would come around tomorrow.

"He said he loved me… he… he…"

"Shhh… its okay sweetie, it'll all be fine."

"Luke, he cheated on me."

Dead silence filled the room, both struggling to keep their emotions in check. Brooke founds herself on the edge of another wave of tears, and tried to keep the flood gates closed. Lucas found himself fighting to be in two places at once. Eventually the beautiful crying girl in his arms one out over his desire to beat the crap out of her ex-boyfriend… for now… but tomorrow was a different story.

"Is it me? Is there something _wrong_ with me?" she asked, a rare showing of insecurity in the bold and brazen girl, a look of vulnerability in her hazel eyes that broke his heart.

"God **no**! It's not your fault that he's a fool. It's his loss, because you, Brooke Penelope Davis, are the most amazing woman that is not my mother that I've ever had the privilege of meeting, and it's his fault that he can't see that."

For the first time that night, he saw a smile that reached her eyes as she leaned her forehead against his in a gesture common of their friendship.

"You know you're the best, right Lucas?"

"And so I've been told."

"You just had to ruin the little moment thingy there, didn't you?" she said with a giggle.

"Of course I did. That's like my job. Now come on Miss Davis, let's get you to bed… because, no, don't even bother asking, I know you want to stay."

"What a mind reader of a best friend you are!" Brooke said, attempting her customary perk, but Lucas knew from the abnormal look of sadness in her eyes that it was an act… even more so than usual. "And so valiant!" she laughed as he scooped her into his arms and carried her into his room.

"You know what valiant means?" Luke asked, feigning shock and unceremoniously dropping her onto the bed.

"Very funny Mr. Big Shot Basketball Star. So tell me, once the season starts up again, will you be ditching your good friends Steinbeck and Maugham to party it up with the rest of us?" she teased, holding up two of the many, many books laying beside her on the bed. Sometimes his room looked more like a library than a bedroom, and now was one of those times.

"I'm thinking we both know that that's never going to happen." He said, heading towards the door.

"Where are you going!" she called out to him, snuggling further under the covers. Lucas looked at her over his shoulder, and he was struck by the fact that she had never looked more helpless than at that moment, lying under the covers of his bed with her makeup joining her tears in a river down her face.

He wiped away a tear with his calloused thumb and said to her, "Don't worry about it. I've just got some stuff to clean up out there. I'll be back in a little while."

"Please don't leave me," whispered Brooke, her eyes glistening.

"Of course I won't leave you," Lucas relented, clearing away the books and sliding in behind her. He wrapped his arms around her small body and laid a kiss to the crown of her head, and she slept, peaceful for the first time that day.

_So, what do you guys think? Did that totally suck?I've already got the next two chapters written, so I guess I'll wait for a review, just to see what you guys think, and whether I should continue just for myself, or post it for you guys. Thanks for reading! 3_


	2. Of Dream and Drama

_Hey everybody! Thanks for continuing on with the story! It really means **a lot** to me that you're bothering to read it at all, especially when there are so many **great** stories on this site. Anyway, here's your next chapter!_

Disclaimer: I own nothing… big shock there, right guys?

**At The Heart Of It All**

_Chapter Two_

… Of Dream and Drama

_Brooke Davis was used to people staring at her. She usually thrived on the attention. But today, it seemed that everyone was staring at her—in a bad way. Finally, thankfully, Bevin approached her. Brooke wasn't usually too happy to see Bevin (the girl was just so dumb!) but today was an exception. If anybody was going to give her an answer, it would be Bevin._

_"Hey Brooke, I'm really sorry… I heard what happened," Bevin said sympathetically, expecting her message to be received with a hug…she certainly wasn't expecting the confused expression on the cheer captain's face. It prompted her to continue on._

_"You know… about what happened with Felix and Theresa…how they've been hooking up?" Bevin said slowly and quietly, as if she were speaking to a daft person._

_"They… they… they… WHAT?" Brooke yelled. Yelling seemed to be the only thing that made sense. It was like the world had stopped spinning. Everyone in the hallway was looking at her, watching her, gauging her reaction. Poor Brookie… always the last to know. "Where is Felix?" she asked with a calm that was even more frightening than her scream._

_"Uhh… he's not in school today."_

_"Do you think he'll be at Zach's party tonight?" Brooke asked thoughtfully._

_"Of course. But will you? You don't usually run in that crowd," Bevin noted._

_"I think tonight I'll have to make a special exception. See you there. But Bevin?" _

_"Yeah?" the ditzy girl asked, turning to face the brunette._

_"Don't mention this to anyone. I want my appearance to be a… a… surprise. Thanks."_

_"Oh, don't mention it. See you later Brooke!"_

_The music was blasting so loudly that you could hear it three blocks over, and the house seemed to pulsate along with the beat… much like the dancers inside. Carefully stepping around the mass of grinding people, Brooke made her way towards the kitchen virtually undetected, an astounding feat for her. However, she kind of wished that she didn't make it, because for the second time that day, her world stopped spinning. It discontinued its orbit, and came to a screeching halt around the island in the kitchen where Theresa was perched, Brooke's boyfriend between her legs; them making out like there was no tomorrow. They were completely oblivious to everything around them… _

_"WHAT THE HELL!... BROOKE?... Oh my God, Brooke, this isn't what it looks like…" Felix sputtered. The initial exclamation came after the petit brunette dumped a large cup of very cold water on him. She figured she was doing him a big favor, because she figured that there would be a cold shower in his near future if looks weren't deceiving…_

_"No?" she whispered. "Because it looks a lot like you're cheating on me."_

_"Well… I guess that part is what it looks like," he said pompously, playing to the audience that was now gathered around them. Once again, all eyes on Brooke… sympathetic, curious… pitied… _

_"How long?" she asked with enough ice in her voice to freeze over Bermuda._

_"Few months," he shrugged. "Guess we all know that guys don't like her for her brain, now don't we?" _

_People all around the room chuckled. It seemed like there were thousands of them, their cruel laughter echoing in Brooke's head until it drowned out rational thought. Brooke wanted nothing more than break down in tears and run from the party, but then how would she ever show her face in public again? No, she was Brooke Davis, and **no one** got the best of her. Brooke took two brisk steps forward, stretched out her hand and then a different noise filled the room, silencing the laughter. **SMACK**! It surprised even Brooke, who was shocked that she could hit so hard with her hand shaking… that her aim was so accurate with tears blurring her vision…_

"OH MY GOD!" Brooke awoke with a scream that came out as a hoarse whisper. Her eyes flew open, trying to adjust to her setting and figure out where the hell she was. She could feel a muscular arm draped protectively over her waist, and was almost afraid to look over her shoulder and find out who she had spent the night with. However, that fear completely evaporated once she took in the scent of the warm body behind her. It was so distinctly her best friend that she was shocked she hadn't realized it was Lucas the second she became conscience.

Wiping away the tears that she hadn't realized had fallen, Brooke propped herself up on her elbow and tried to shake away the remnants of the memory disguised as a dream. She couldn't believe the events of last night had actually taken place… never had she been so mortified, heartbroken and shocked at once. Damn Felix…

Brooke had always loved sleeping next to Lucas. He always found ways to hold her as close as possible, and make her feel completely protected. Plus, try as she might to deny it, he was so much hotter than whoever her boyfriend at the moment was. She especially loved to watch him sleep, and she knew that that was pretty creepy as far as best-friend-quirks go, but she couldn't help it. He looked so peaceful and content, as opposed to his normal "brooding" face. Absently, she began tracing the contours of his muscles through his shirt.

"Huhjamafa," he groaned, eyes opening slightly, causing her to giggle lightly. "Brooke, what are you doing?"

"Waking you up, Broody!"

"Isn't this a little early to be cheery, Cheery? It's… 4:30! Brooke!"

"Come on best friend! I don't want to sleep! I want to have a sleep over!" she laughed, as he groaned and propped himself up on the pillows, joining her.

"Brooke…now, you know that I care for you very deeply… but I need to sleep or I may have to hurt you… so sleep time it is!" Lucas said, grabbing Brooke around the waist and pulling her back down to the bed with him. "Good night Cheery!" he said, squeezing her tightly to him as she struggled to get up. Relaxing against him, she realized that sleeping with him wouldn't be so bad.

_Reviews are beloved ! xo Sam_


	3. They Long To Be Close To You

_Hey everybody! So yeah, this update is pretty darn recent to the other ones posted, but I know how much I hate waiting for a story, so I'm going to be posting as fast as I can... if that's okay with you guys, of course. lol. Thank you **soooo** much for reviewing! It really made my day. So, here's your return present: chapter three of At The Heart Of It All. Enjoy! (God, i hope, anyway..)_

Disclaimer: Sadly, still own nothing. However, if I **_did_** own One Tree Hill… let's just say that The Leaver's Dance would've ended very differently. Lol. Thanks for reading guys! It really means a lot to me…

**At The Heart Of It All**

_Chapter Three_

They Long To Be Close To You

**_Knock Knock_**.

"Huh?" Brooke groaned, squinting as the sunlight beamed into her eyes, blinding her mercilessly.

_**Knock Knock!**_

Since when did her room have a door to the outside world? Since she slept over at Lucas's again… Brooke still hadn't recovered from the blow that she'd been dealt on Friday night, and she had spent the weekend licking her wounds in the company of her best friend.

**_Knock Knock!_**

"Brooke, will you answer the freaking door?" the shower turned off momentarily as a voice called out from the bathroom. Instantly the shower turned back on. Grumbling, Brooke made her way to the door, smoothing down her hair and adjusting her tank top, trying to tame her disgruntled appearance. It didn't really work, but she didn't really care.

"Hello?" she asked, pulling the door open.

"Hi Brooke," Theresa said.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing. But I think that the tangled bed sheets and your messy hair pretty much give it away. My, you move on fast." Theresa smirked.

"Okay, I am **not** hooking up with Lucas. But you know, if I was, at least **_I_** waited until my relationship was over to do so."

"Right… well, we'll just leave that issue alone. I didn't come here to fight with you."

"Really? Then why did you come at all?"

"I want to apologize."

"You want to---what?"

"Apologize. I shouldn't have hooked up with Felix at that party…"

"What about all the other ones?" Brooke challenged. Her eyebrows were raised and her claws were out, her grogginess a thing of the past.

"Let's not push it. Anyway, I just hope that this won't cause any problems for us on the squad…"

"Oh, it won't," Brooke said confidently.

"Really?" Theresa asked hopefully.

"Really. It definitely won't cause any problems for the squad, because you won't be on it."

"What? You can't do that! You can't kick a girl off just because your boyfriend likes her better!"

"No, I can't. But Mrs. Murphy can. Remember her? She's the coach. Now I advise you to take it up with her, and be very persuasive. I also advise you to leave before I get angry," Brooke said, the last few words coming out in a vehement hiss before she slammed the door in her former friend's face. Brooke plopped down onto the bed, listening to the water run steadily from the shower, wondering what the hell was taking him so long. Not fifteen minutes later, another resounding knock echoed through the room.

"What?" Brooke asked shortly, not caring who was at the door this time.

"Oh! Um… hi Brooke," Bevin began, a look of confusion crossing her face.

"Oh, hey Bevin…what's up?" Brooke began, trying to feign interest.

"Nothing… um, what are you doing here?"

"Nothing… what are _you_ doing here?" Brooke asked suspiciously.

"Oh, I was just in the neighborhood and I…" Bevin started, but faltered under Brooke's gaze. "Okay, I actually wanted to ask Luke if he wanted to come to Tim's party with me tonight."

Brooke's eyebrows shot up, completely thrown by this. "Oh… um…okay."

"Yeah… are you going to the party?"

"Maybe. We'll see how today goes," Brooke said, shrugging noncommittally.

"Where is Luke, anyway?" Bevin inquired, peering over Brooke's shoulder into the room.

"Showering," Brooke answered, closing the door a little behind her. She didn't know why, but Bevin's sudden interest in her best friend was bothering her. A lot.

"Alrighty then… well, just tell him I stopped bye? Okay, see you later… maybe." Bevin said while backing up, off the porch and down the walkway.

"That was weird…" Brooke said aloud.

Finally, after realizing that Lucas had been in the shower for roughly 45 minutes, Brooke barged in.

"Don't make me come in there with you!"

"Little privacy, please?"

"You've been in there forever! There's not going to be anymore hot water!"

"Did Bevin stop by yet?"

"You knew she was coming by?" Brooke asked curiously, forgetting all about water heaters.

"Yeah… she sorta happens to just be in the neighborhood every day around this time. I try to make it a point to not be here."

"Aww! That's so cute! Bevin's got a crush on you!"

"Adorable. Do you think we can have this conversation some other time? You know, when I'm not naked?" Luke asked irritably.

"I don't know… I kinda like you this way," Brooke grinned, and Luke raised an eyebrow at her. "Just kidding!" she added, bouncing out of the bathroom and shutting the door behind her.

**_Knock Knock!_**

Brooke sighed exasperated and glanced at the ceiling. "Are you kidding me!" She trudged over to the door, flung it open and was surprised to be greeted by a smiling Peyton Sawyer. The blonde's smile quickly dropped when she realized that it was Brooke who answered the door.

"Peyton… hi," Brooke acknowledged.

"Brooke," Peyton nodded. "Is Lucas here?"

"He's in the shower. Can I take a message?"

"Um… no. Just tell him I stopped by…"

"Could this day please get weirder?" Brooke asked aloud, reclining on Lucas's bed.

"Probably. Why, what's up?" Lucas asked, entering with a towel wrapped around his waist, and another one drying off his damp hair.

"Do you frequently have varsity cheerleaders stop by your bedroom?"

"Humm… you must have started that trend," he grinned.

"Should I be jealous?"

"Nah Cheery… you know you're my number one girl. Well, number two if moms rank first," he said, gathering her into a hug. "By the way, did Peyton stop by yet?"

"Few seconds before you made your grand exit from the bathroom actually. Hiding from her too?"

"Yes actually."

"Oh, it must be so tough for you, to have all these cheerleaders flinging themselves at you," she mocked.

"Don't laugh! I don't want some airhead for a girlfriend. Sure, they're beautiful, but they've got nothing going on up here," he said, gesturing to his head. "I want someone with brains and beauty. Somebody like you, of course," he tossed off, placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Shh… don't let that get around. I might lose my reputation."

"And that would be a shame."

_so... moment of truth: what did you guys think? review for your next update! lol_

_xo Sam_


	4. Dancing Through Sunday

_Wow… thank you so much for reviewing! I actually got a review from one of my favorite authors on the site right now saying that she liked my story! Haha, I was so excited by reviews that I danced around the computer room for a few minutes before I realized that I was in here to update! Lol. Seriously though, you guys are totally awesome, and I couldn't ask for better readers! (Ha, I sound like I'm making an acceptance speech... few years too early! Lol) So, without further adieu, your update, chapter four!_

Disclaimer: Nope, still nothing….:sigh:. One of these days, though…

**At The Heart Of It All**

_Chapter Four_

Dancing Through Sunday

"Mom! Relax! Everything's fine. Yes, Brooke spent the weekend. **_Now_** you believe that everything is okay? Geez, some faith you have in your only son! Nah, you know I'm kidding. Have a good time in New Zealand. Love you too… bye ma," Lucas said, snapping his cell phone shut. He had been sitting on the balcony outside of Tim's, taking a phone call from his mom who had been spending time in New Zealand with a "friend". However, the only ones they were fooling with their "friend" business was themselves, and Lucas was honestly happy for his mom and Andy.

The house was packed full of sweating, dancing people. Anyone who was anyone was there, including a few wannabes who had the potential to make the A-List… _next year_. So naturally, Brooke and Lucas were there. This was a perfect opportunity for Brooke to make her 'return' after exiting with such disgrace it was a new low for her. But she had spent the weekend in the company of her bestest friend, and nothing could bring her down… or so she thought.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I didn't get your call, Haley. I wasn't at home," Brooke explained with an apologetic shrug. She was a little surprised to find that she actually meant it… Brooke wasn't genuine with that many people, but Haley felt like a girl she could trust. She and Haley weren't very close friends, but they had bumped into each other outside the tutoring center, and just starting talking. They found that (shock!) the bad girl cheerleader and the good girl tutor actually did have a few things in common. Haley wasn't the coolest, but she was cool with Brooke.

"Hey Brooke!" Peyton Sawyer said, bouncing up to her wearing a big smile.

"Peyton? Are you _smiling_?" Brooke asked in astonishment. "How much have you had to drink?"

Peyton's smile kept up, but it looked much more forced, and hate was in her eyes. "Oh Brooke, you're… so… funny. Anyway, is Lucas here?"

Haley raised her neatly arched eyebrows and Brooke rolled her eyes upon realizing Peyton's true intentions.

"Oh… um, actually, sorry Peyton, Luke didn't come tonight," Brooke lied through her teeth.

"Really?" Peyton said coolly, not even bothering to pretend she liked the girls anymore. "Then just let him know I'm looking for him."

"Will do," Brooke said, with a gleeful grin. She was beginning to truly enjoy being a spectator in Peyton's 'Quest for the Golden Boy'. Brooke truly loved to watch her rivals fail, and since Peyton had been competing with her for almost everything ever since they were having a contest in pre-k to see who could keep up their hula hoop longest…and this was a contest Brooke was sure that Peyton wouldn't win.

"So you wanna tell me what that was about?" Haley asked with a smirk

"Um Brooke, don't look now, but here comes Felix… and Theresa," Haley said, pointing over Brooke's bare shoulder and trying not to look too obvious about it. A wicked grin flitted across the head cheerleader's face, because this was what she had been waiting for the whole weekend. A chance to show them that they didn't affect her, not in the least. Brooke knew that she looked hot in her tight red backless top and the black miniskirt that fit her like a second skin. Now she just had to act like she felt good. She took to the dance floor, and everyone took notice. Dancing her way around the room, grinding up against random guys, she made it a point to dance with all of them for a little bit and then just dance away, dance her way around the floor. However nobody was more surprised than her when her bright green eyes met a set of piercing blue ones as she collided with a body she knew so well… except for maybe him.

Giving him a little shrug, she cupped one hand around his neck and started moving to the beat. He looked at her a little strangely, but mercifully said nothing… because God knows that neither of them could take more awkwardness. However, that all melted away as he began to move with her. He slid his hands around her waist and pulled her closer. He was relieved that she wasn't a cheerleader he would have to make up an excuse to get away from, and she was relieved that he wasn't a guy that expected her to sleep with them after a dance and a drink. His hand slid down, coming to brush against her thigh, and her fingers played with the hair on the back of his neck. Both were more than a little surprised that they didn't feel uncomfortable, being so close to each other. The way they were dancing didn't say much for personal space, and definitely wouldn't have been approved of if there actually **_were_** chaperones at the party, like they had all assured their parents that there were. Luke's fingers played along the edge of Brooke's skirt, and their faces were so close together that she could practically taste him, and she couldn't help but wish that he would go a little farther. There was something that she didn't recognize in his eyes, and he leaned a little bit forward and she thought to herself '_Oh my God… is this actually happening?_' when---

The lights went out.

"Whoa! Who turned the sun out?" Tim called out, obviously drunk.

"Its night, Tim, and you just tripped over the extension cord! Now somebody please plug it the hell back in?" Peyton called irritably from the couch.

Brooke stood completely still, slightly on tip-toe, holding her breath. She had no idea what was going to happen next, but Lucas hadn't moved his head forward, a bad sign, and he hadn't moved backwards, a good sign. Both stood there, suspended in time, waiting for reality to come crashing back in. As the music came back on as a dull roar, Lucas pulled Brooke into a hug, effectively changing the scenario back into a friendly one… the kind they were familiar with.

"You want something to drink?" he asked, shifting and putting his hands in his pockets.

"Nah, I'm good."

Lucas nodded, and kissed her forehead, and began to turn away. Brooke, grabbing his arm, pulled him back to her and gave him a lingering kiss on the cheek.

"I'll see you later," Luke said, but it sounded like a question.

"Of course you will, best friend!" she said, but her voice decreased in volume as he was lost in the crowd until 'best friends' was a whisper only she could hear.

Brooke ambled over to Haley, plopping down into her seat with a sigh.

"So?" Haley asked.

"What?" Brooke responded, swirling her drink around in her cup.

"So, inquiring minds want to know! Was Brooke Davis really just **_all over_** Lucas Scott? Because it certainly looked like that to the inquiring mind!"

"Hey! Luke's my best friend! We were just dancing!" Brooke said, unaware of the small smile spreading across her face.

"_Just dancing_?" Haley scoffed. "Yeah, and the Atlantic's just some water. Come on…" she goaded. "You know that totally turned you on!"

Brooke blushed a little, and laughed out loud at how straight-forward she was being.

"A little…

_Thanks again for reading! Your update is only five reviews away! lol _

_xo Sam_


	5. All I Get From Love Is A Love Song

_Ahh! You guys are incredible! I thought I was pushing it by posting up last night and asking for five reviews, but you guys are the greatest! So, here is your next chapter! I'm really cranking them out lately, and I hope y'all don't mind (I don't know where I got the "y'all" from, seeing as I'm from north Jersey, but whatever lol) but whenever I start a new story, I just have to keep the momentum. _

**At The Heart Of It All**

_Chapter Five_

All I Get From "Love" Is A Love Song

It was a rare occasion when Brooke Davis had a crush on a guy. In kindergarten, she had liked a boy named Blake, and dreamt about the perfect wedding, the perfect children, and how all their names could start with a B. Blake moved away that summer, and seven-year-old Brooke decided, looking at her parents' marriage, that it never would've lasted anyway.

Brooke wouldn't go so far as to say that she'd had a crush on Felix. That would imply that she was actually after a relationship with him, which couldn't have been further from the truth. He infuriated her. He intoxicated her. Honestly, yes, she wanted to sleep with him, and she wanted him out of her system… but he just wouldn't go. And so began their relationship, full of (forged) feelings, (phony) sentiments, and (plastic) passion, as she now realized. On Brooke's part, it wasn't "**_love_**"…

But it was pretty damn close.

The moral of this story was that Brooke Davis just didn't do _love _and _longing_, and the whole hold-me-tight-so-I-don't-fall-from-waaaay-up-here-in-heaven-esque emotions. She knew, from both experience and example, that love was just an excuse to get hurt. Who liked to hurt? Seeing Felix still burned her, and filled her with a desire to get as far away from him as possible to spare herself further pain… but lately, another boy had been kind of occupying her thoughts. She didn't crush on a boy so much as long to screw him—which is exactly what she currently felt for a boy. The worst boy possible---

"Lucas? Are you listening?" snapped the shrill voice of their literature teacher. Lucas looked up from where he had been sitting with Nathan, Skills and Mouth.

"Of course, Mrs. Gilmer! You know that this is my favorite class of the day," he said with a smile that made even their thousand year old teacher swoon.

Class resumed as normal, but the dinosaur in front retained a blush on her cheeks. Brooke continued to stare at her best friend, wondering exactly when he'd gotten so…handsome? Hot? Unbelievably gorgeous? He caught her eye and grinned, making her heart flip over inside her chest.

"Damn it! God, are you kidding me!" Brooke whispered roughly to herself, angrily flipping the pages of her book.

"Chill Tigger! What did Steinbeck ever do to you?" Haley whispered, her voice laden with amusement. Haley had been sitting with Brooke and a few girls from the cheering squad for a few weeks now, and Brooke was really starting to see her as one of her closest friends. Besides, she occupied the seat previously taken by Theresa. Theresa had been exiled from both the table and the cheer squad, and **_definitely_** from Brooke's inner circle. She currently sat in the back with Felix and the other slackers, probably trying to see just how much fooling around they could get away with in Gilmer's class.

"What's up Brooke?" asked Haley, this time seriously.

"Humm… let's see. I haven't had a boy, neither a boyfriend nor a boytoy, in weeks, all of Tree Hill High thinks I'm losing my touch and that I'm hung up on my lying cheating scumbag of an ex, and I'm currently filled with the impossible desire to have sex with my best friend."

"Huh. Is this about last Sunday?"

"I guess. It's just, it feels like everybody has somebody—"

"Hey! I don't!" Haley objected.

"Okay fine, we'll pretend that I didn't walk in on you making out with Jake Jagelski in the tutoring center on Tuesday," Brooke said with a grin and a little roll of her eyes.

"Okay, lets!" Haley whisper-exclaimed, a pretty blush crossing her face. "Anyway, I think that the real issue here is that you want to screw your best friend."

"Ew… please, don't put it like that. It's Lucas!"

"Yes, it is! It's **_Lucas Scott_**! Please Brooke; the desire to sleep with Luke is hardly an original one."

"Hales!"

"What? It's true!"

"I think we need to move away from this issue before my head explodes…" Brooke whispered, rubbing her temples.

"But… um… I have been meaning to ask you how you've been holding up lately. We both know that the gossip mill's being anything but kind to you lately. People are kind of tearing you up for quote "being hung up on a boy who just used you" end quote. Anyway, now that I've babbled and tossed in some details that are probably causing you pain, what I really wanted to know is if you were okay."

"Honestly, I can't stand it. I hate being the girl who's looked at as pathetic. I hate what he did to me. I hate what he's still doing to me," Brooke whispered, her voice breaking.

"Well, as you know, I'm not usually gung-ho for the whole vengeance thing, but I think that perhaps you should start thinking about it. Even me, yes, I, Haley James, tutor girl, friend, thinks that you should get revenge. God, never thought I'd say that."

"Girls! Pay attention!" Mrs. Gilmer snapped, directing the class's attention to them.

"Sorry!" they both said with false perkiness.

Brooke's bright eyes skimmed the class with renewed interest. Her conversation with Haley had certainly changed her outlook on everything. If even Tutor Girl thought that she should get revenge, then she definitely should. Opting to take the chance that she could still invoke Felix's caveman-like jealously, she looked around the class for the one guy that would really get to him. A slow smile spread across her face as sunlight glinting off blonde hair directed her sight to the hottest guy in the class, perhaps even the grade, and the one who would definitely be most inclined to help her.

_Well, what do you guys think? Sorry, I meant to make this part of a longer chapter, but I just decided to dash something off to keep you guys interested. It's pretty short, I think (mostly dialogue) because I wanted to better establish the Brooke-Haley friendship and set up for chapter six… and because I have softball in about a half-hour and need to go get ready. But expect another update today! Thanks for reading!_

_Xo Sam _


	6. Another Word For Desperate

_Wow, I just realized that I like totally forgot the **disclaimer** on chapter five… but I'm pretty sure that you guys know that I own nothing that has anything to do with anything. However, I do own a very cute pair of blue-tint sunglasses, which are perfect for hiding your eyes when they are red from crying, much like mine were after seeing **Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants** last night. Everybody should totally see that, and bring your best friend with you! Also, I'd just like to tell you guys that there's a book like based on One Tree Hill out now (saw it, bought it, from Barnes and Noble last night). It's called A Heart So True and it has that pose of Hilarie, Chad and Sophia where they're all wearing white shirts… I think you know which picture I'm talking about. Anyway, it's a Brooke story… so you know I loved it. I'm not going to give anymore about it away, but for all the other hopeless addicts of One Tree Hill just like me, I thought you'd want to know. Lol. Now that I've babbled for a while, and even spoke about something completely irrelevant, I think I'll give you chapter six! Haha enjoy!_

_**Ooh, one more thing**: Jeytonlover, don't worry. Hint hint! Haha_

Disclaimer: Yeah, nothing's mine…which is pretty darn sad, if you ask me.

**At The Heart Of It All**

_Chapter Six_

Another Word For Desperate

Brooke Davis always loved being the one who held all the cards. She relished telling someone something shocking, watching their reaction, and just watching with a satisfied smile on her face. And, if she had known just how adorably shocked Lucas would look, she would have propositioned him _years_ ago!

"I'm sorry, I must be hearing things, but did you just ask me out?" Lucas said, completely bewildered.

"I did… but not as my real boyfriend," Brooke explained, and then frowned, realizing that that was the least efficient explanation she had ever given anybody. Naturally, she knew Lucas was confused even before he opened his mouth. Raising a hand to silence him, she trudged on.

"I need someone to help me stick it to Felix. The entire school thinks I'm so pathetic, and that I'm actually hung up on him!"

"Are you?" Lucas challenged.

"NO! I haven't thought about him for a week! Unless of course, you count the I'm-going-to-get-revenge-on-your-ass kind of way, in which case, yes, I'm rather hung up." Brooke defended fiercely, causing Lucas to laugh a little before remembering the seriousness of the issue at hand.

"Brooke, I know that this sucks. This sucks, he sucks, and this isn't fair. But what the hell does this have to do with me becoming your not real boyfriend… whatever that is?"

"Okay, it's like this. He cheated on me."

"Yes, I _did _understand that part Brooke."

"Hush Broody! I'm not done!"

"I hoped not."

"Anyway. So he made a fool out of me, _and_ broke my heart all at once by going behind my back with another girl. So now I need somebody to help me prove to Tree Hill High that I am totally, completely, 100 **_over_** Felix Taggaro. Somebody that I can actually stand… preferably. Flings won't do this time. I need a boyfriend, actually or just for show, and I think you'd be perfect for the job."

"Brooke… you know that you are my best friend in the entire world, but that is absolutely insane. Why am I the perfect candidate for your plot?"

"Because you hate Felix as much as I do." Brooke said simply.

"Cheery, I've hated Felix for a while now. I've never tried to get back at him before."

"Oh really? What about Anna?"

"Brooke…" he began, a warning shining in his clear blue eyes, but she was too far gone to stop now.

"Luke! You can't keep pretending it didn't happen! I don't know why you can't talk about it."

"Because I loved her."

"You did, didn't you? And if I remember correctly, she seemed to love you too…" she said with a tone that made him wary of walking right into a trap.

"Yes—we—were—in—love—"Lucas said through gritted teeth.

"Yeah, you guys were pretty perfect for each other. Humm… I wonder why you guys broke up."

"Brooke—"

"No Lucas! Don't pretend like Felix had nothing to do with that! He ruined me, and he helped ruin you! That break up made you a _shell_ for our entire sophomore year!" Brooke shouted, tired of playing cat and mouse. It was time to lay everything on the table. "Please Luke? I need you."

And her "_I need you_" combined with the tears building up in her eyes was something that stuck with him for the rest of his life.

"Did you hear about who Brooke Davis nabbed this time?"

"Brooke's got a new guy? Isn't she all heartbroken over Felix?"

"Please, like anybody could be heartbroken when they're hooking up with **Lucas Scott**!"

"Are you kidding me?"

"Nope. Some girls have all the luck!"

Brooke observed the scene with a kind of detached satisfaction. It was like ever since she entered the double doors of Tree Hill High, she had been floating above herself, looking on from high above them all. Maybe because she had been floating on cloud nine ever since Lucas had actually agreed to the ruse. Finally, the whole school would know that Felix Taggaro was nothing more than a proverbial notch on her bedpost. She didn't really see him that way, but she wanted everyone else to. However, nobody would ever think that she would bother with feelings for anybody else when she had a guy like Lucas Scott. Speaking of, where **_was_** her gorgeous "boyfriend"?

As if on cue, the doors to the gym flew open, and there stood Lucas. For a second, Brooke could see what all those Scott groupies saw…

Shaking her head as if to clear her thoughts, Brooke's out of body experience was over and she was suddenly painfully aware of everything around her. She was almost having déjà vu, almost waiting for Bevin to walk over and blow her world to pieces. Except this time it was Lucas who approached her, spotting her from all the way down the hall and making his way towards her. Instead of destroying her, he laced his fingers through hers, sending a spark through both of them, and said…

"Hey babe. Good day?"

A slow, heart-felt smile spread across her face as she realized that this day would be **so** much better than that one.

_Reviews are adored! I'm working on being able to post up two more chapters tomorrow, but I guess that's up to you guys... ? Thanks for reading!_

xo Sam


	7. Everybody's Talking

_Hey everybody! I'm thrilled (as always) by your reviews, and so I would **love** to answer some of your questions. A question that I got was that if I liked the whole Lanna relationship because I dropped that Lucas and Anna were "in love", in chapter six. NO! I am not, and probably never will be, a fan of any relationship involving Brooke or Lucas involved with anyone other than each other. I actually really despised Lanna (no chemistry, in my opinion… or maybe that was just in comparison to Brucas…) I really want to thank **brucasfanatic** for their review, and I'm just going to tell you straight up that you really hit the nail on the head with one of your comments. I just can't tell you which one! (Haha, I know that really sucks of me, but that's what semi-plot-twists are about, right?) _

Disclaimer: I own nothing… shocked, I'm sure.

**At The Heart Of It All**

_Chapter Seven_

Everybody's Talking

"So big brother, what's this I hear about you snatching up Brooke Davis?" Nathan Scott called to his sibling across the deserted gym. It was supposedly a study hall for the boys at this time everyday, but they decided to skip and keep honing their on-court skills.

"Yeah… Brooke and I are together," Luke said slowly. He didn't want to lie to his brother, but he definitely couldn't tell him the truth about his and Brooke's relationship. Actually, he couldn't even if he wanted to, because he himself barely understood it. He knew that the formerly not-so-strictly platonic relationship had now taken a turn into the dating world… but it was also just an arrangement that would benefit them both.

However, Lucas was surprised to see how easily it was to pretend Brooke was his girlfriend. He spotted her easily in the ground and was drawn to her like a bee to honey. Then again, he always had been.

"Just… be careful, okay man? I know it's been a while since the whole Anna fiasco, but I'm not sure you're--- you know, not that Brooke's anything like Anna, that is so not where I was going with that—I… I just want to make sure you're happy, bro."

------------

"So it looks like Theresa really called that one," a mocking voice said from over Brooke's head. The brunette looked up from the book she was silently suffering through to meet the cold eyes of a blonde that she'd rather not deal with.

"Hello Brooke, it's really nice to see you. Hey Peyton, nice to see you too. How have you been lately? Oh, I'm great, thanks for asking," Brooke spat, all the while wearing a sweet smile.

"So, it's true then?"

"Will you please stop skirting whatever you really want to know and just spit it out?"

"Are you Lucas's girlfriend?" Peyton said, the words tumbling out of her mouth, her bluntness surprising both her and Brooke. Brooke took her time in answering, stretched languidly, yawning, and then finally allowing a sweeping smile to cross her face before responding.

"Yes."

Peyton looked stricken for a moment before quickly regaining her composure. "Well, we'll see how long that lasts."

Brooke suddenly had a vision of herself lunging over the desk and tackling Peyton to the floor, pulling her hair and smacking the stupid smirk off her face. She could hear Lindsay Lohan's Mean Girl's voiceover in her mind… _I knew how this would be settled in the animal world… but this was "girl world". _And so Brooke pasted on a smile and glanced up at her rival. "That sounds an awful lot like a challenge Miss Sawyer."

"Take it as you will," Peyton said with an indifferent shrug, but Brooke thought she could detect a bit of a malicious glint in the girl's eyes.

"Then happy hunting Goldilocks. But I should just warn you that Lucas and I are very…_**very**…_happy together."

--------

"Lucas Scott… hi, I'm Haley James," a petite girl said, sliding into the seat across from Luke in the library.

"Erm… nice to meet you?"

"Yeah. You don't actually know me, but I do know a lot about you. Don't worry, I'm not like your stalker or anything, and I'm definitely not one of your groupies, although I do hear that they're getting t-shirts pretty soon which is pretty cool I guess, in a super weird and ultra-creepy way…oh yeah, I'm friends with Brooke. Yeah, that was my point," she said, blushing as he raised his eyebrows at her, prompting her to get to the point.

"Nice to meet you Haley… just so you know, I do know who you are. Brooke's talked about you."

"Good things, I hope."

"Of course. And I do want to thank you for being such a great friend to Brooke… because, we've always been best friends, but I've been told I'm not so great for girl-talk," he smiled as Haley laughed.

"I hear you two are going out now," Haley said, examining him carefully. She wasn't too shocked, given how Brooke spoke about him, that a slow, happy smile spread over his face, completely lighting him up… completely unknown to him, of course.

"Yeah, we are. Actually Haley, I'm starving… but I'd be really happy if you would come to lunch with me, because any friend of Brooke's is a friend of mine," Lucas said, extending his hand out to Haley, who accepted it.

"Works for me." Haley said with a laugh as they exited the library.

_Reviews are so very helpful and definitely appreciated ! lol . I'm sorry that lately the chapters have been kind of short, but life's a beyotch sometimes. Expect them to get longer and longer, because the school year's kind of coming to an end my graduation's o the 21st ! wheee! and so that will give me more time to write. Thanks for reading!_

_xo Sam_


	8. When The Tears Fall

_Some things I want to say: unfortunately, you haven't seen the last of Anna or Felix, and the ending to this story may not be one that you all predict…_

One sentence summary for Ch. 8: Sorry Jaley fans.

Disclaimer: The characters belong to somebody who definitely isn't me lol

**At The Heart Of It All **

_Chapter Eight_

When The Tears Fall

"No… no, it's okay, really… I didn't like him that much anyway," sniffled a watery eyed tutor as tears streamed down her face and she tried to convince herself of what she was saying. However, the other brunette in the room wasn't buying it.

"Wait until I get my hands on Jake Jagelski! I'll rip his arm off and use it to beat him to a bloody pulp! Actually, you know, I can't do that. But I bet Lucas could…"

"Brooke, your devotion is touching, but manslaughter doesn't seem to be the answer. Besides, don't call Lucas. That'd be way too embarrassing. But thanks for being here Tigger." Haley said, grabbing the large tub of ice cream from her friend's clutches and turning up the volume on A Walk To Remember.

"Anything for my friends, Tutor Girl…anything for a friend."

--------

_Lips met lips as skin met skin in the dark. It was all rushed, secret, forbidden… maybe that's why it was so good. Legs locked around a muscular waist as the girl's back was pressed into the wall. Clothes flew and landed in a pile in the dusty corner, and all was silent except for the heavy breathing of the couple---until a shriek pierced the air and light flooded the school's store room._

_Both girls stood there, completely stuck dumb by their find. Brooke regained her voice first._

_"Oh my God! Peyton! You slut!" _

_"Brooke---"_

_"Jake! You are such an asshole!"_

_"Brooke!"_

_"I can't believe that you would do this to Haley! Haley—oh my God Haley… Hales wait!" Brooke shouted, starting to take off after her crying friend, but stopping in her tracks to stare at the half-dressed couple as if they were something that she had scraped off the bottom of her shoe._

_"This sure as hell isn't over!" she said, her tone more than threatening, and one of the most serious ones she had ever used. Peyton and Jake still stood there in their underwear, completely silent, guilty looks on their red faces. They continued to stand still long after Brooke's footsteps could no longer be heard in the hall_.

----------

Just the thought of what she and Haley had unknowingly stumbled upon that afternoon had Brooke reeling. How **_dare _**they run around behind **_anybody's _**back, especially someone like Haley! Haley had confided in Brooke a long time ago that she had never really dated any guy, and she was hoping Jake would be her first boyfriend, and they were really getting there. Brooke was definitely inclined to agree, considering the time she walked in on Jake and Haley getting **_very_** up close and personal in the tutoring center. Plus, as outraged as Brooke was over Jake betraying Haley and proving himself to be just as worthless and ruthless as every other typical jock loser, but Peyton actually had the nerve to do this and _still_ go after Lucas? Oh no…

Not if Brooke had anything to say about it.

_Love it? Hate it? New chapter is up if we get.. humm.. five reviews? Thanks for reading!_

_xo Sam_


	9. Rip Her To Shreds

_.:jumps up and down squealing with excitement:. Haha, I never get sick of reading all your reviews! Wow… those were some enthusiastic reviews! Lol I think you guys do a better job with them than I do with the chapters! _

_I would like to note that I don't actually hate Peyton as much as it seems in this story lol, I just needed a good antagonist. Same goes for Felix---actually, scratch that. I kind of generally despise him. But it was worth a shot, right? Lol_

_I have something totally unrelated to ask, but I think you guys are pretty good judges for the topic, so I'm just going to pose it to you, because you've all been so great about responses so far: I have a fic that is a sort of Romeo and Juliet—actually, it's a little like this one in that it's the same characters Romeo and Juliet, but totally different situations, set in modern times--- and I was wondering if any of you would happen to be interested in reading such a story? _

_Anyway, back on task, here's chapter nine, and the (for some) long awaited Brooke-Peyton showdown!_

Disclaimer: A very lucky person owns all the rights to One Tree Hill… I am not that lucky.

**At The Heart Of It All**

_Chapter Nine_

Rip Her To Shreds

"Okay, great practice everybody! You can all go! Except for all the fake blondes. Well, actually, I don't want to see all of you, just the ones who have made out with varsity basketball players in supply closets today," Brooke said, continuing to glare at Peyton, as she had done for all of practice. Dismayed, she looked around at her squad, 5/6 of them still standing there. "Oh wow… okay, God, just everybody go except Peyton!" she yelled, and the girls scrambled away.

"Well?" Peyton asked, irritated, her hands on her hips. "Now that you've embarrassed me in front of the squad, is there something you'd like to say to me?"

"Oh, there are a lot of things I'd like to say to you! I can't believe you! How could you do that to Haley?"

"What does Haley have to do with this? So what, she has a crush on Jake. Big deal. So do a bunch of other girls."

"But does he kiss those bunches of other girls and make them think that he likes them? Oh sorry, **_that's_** a dumb question! Obviously he doesn't have too high standards, because believe me, you're nobody's first choice!" Brooke spat venomously. Both cheerleaders stood silently for a moment, sizing each other up.

"I can't believe you were ever my closest friend," Brooke said, shaking her head. Her tone indicated that she'd never heard of something more revolting.

"Well, it's not my fault we're not friends anymore!"

"You made out with my first boyfriend!"

"Michael was practically begging for it! Besides, you never should've let that come between us! You're the one who always said 'Hoes Over Bros'! What happened to that?"

"Well, that was before I knew you were literally a hoe! Huh, looks like some things never change."

"Please, like you're so pure! You lost it at 15!"

"At least I can remember who I lost it to!"

"Wow… I really can't believe I'm being lectured by **_Brooke Davis_** on being a slut."

"Oh, it's not just about being a slut. But if you tack on backstabbing, lying, deceitful, malicious, disloyal, cynical, skanky hypocrite who just can't keep her hands to herself, then you might just be onto something!"

"Okay Brooke, here's the thing: I don't get why you care. It's not like you're into Jake or anyt—oh my God, you're into Jake!"

"Or maybe I care about my friend. Not that you would know what that feels like, seeing as you don't **_have_** friends anymore, but Haley is a real, honest to goodness, good person, who has never done anything to you and I can't believe you would do that to her. It's probably a new low, even for you Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer."

"Brooke—"

"No, I don't want to hear it. I don't care. I've said my piece, judging by the look on your face, I've made you feel like crap, which was obviously the intent, so now I'm going to go, because I've got plans. But Blondie, I want you to know one last thing, and that is this: stay away from Haley and stay away from me."

"What about Lucas?" Peyton asked bitterly, not willing to concede defeat just yet and blindly aiming for a weakness in her rival.

Brooke turned around to face Peyton slowly. Very slowly. And when she finally spoke, her words dripped with ice, and hate, and something neither of them could quite recognize. "Touch him, and I **will** make you wish that you were never born."

A corny threat, but Peyton could see it for what it was: a **_very_** real one.


	10. The Awful Truth Of Loving

_Whoa… I actually made it to chapter ten. Lol believe me guys, I had some doubts. I feel like I should have a party or something. Hahah, cupcakes for everybody! As a chapter ten treat, I'm thinking I'll toss in some that in-depth bff chat some of you have been waiting for… and maybe something you've been waiting for a little longer? Hum? Enjoy chapter 10, and be sure to review!_

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Although I'm starting to really wonder what the point of these disclaimers are anyway. I mean, I'm thinking we all know that I don't own freaking One Tree Hill, and if I did, I wouldn't be sitting here writing about it.

**At The Heart Of It All**

_Chapter Ten, Part I_

The Awful Truth of Loving

3:00 A.M. the electronic alarm clock in her bedroom seemed to scream out to the night, its bright red digits explosive in the total darkness. Too bad no one was there to appreciate it…

"You tired yet, Broody?"

"Not a chance, Cheery," Lucas said through a yarn. Brooke moved slowly from her side of the couch onto his, and deposited herself squarely in his lap. Moving slowly and deliberately and causing as much rubbing as possible, Brooke curled herself up on him, resting her head against his shoulder and her hand against his chest.

"Luke, you alive in there?" He only nodded, but judging by _feeling_, there was definitely something going on, Brooke thought with a giggle.

"Hey Broody? I'm really sorry about the other day. How I sprung the whole Anna thing on you. That was a low blow; I shouldn't have played that card…"

"Forget about it, Brooke."

"Um… I know it was kind of a while ago now, and we've mostly just left it alone but… are we ever going to talk about it?"

"What is there to talk about?"

"Come on, Lucas! I **know** that you aren't that indifferent to the whole thing. We're best friends, and I want you to talk about this with me!"

"Fine, we'll talk about it!"

"Yay!" Brooke squealed, squirming on his lap.

"Eek cut out the friction, crazy girl!"

"Sorry?" Brooke smirked, eyebrows raised.

"Anyway…" Luke rolled his eyes. "You know how it all started…"

_It was the first day of the fourth marking period, freshman year, and Lucas Scott had already made a name for himself as an up-and-coming basketball star. It was actually becoming the stuff of school legend that he had made varsity his freshman year, a previously unaccomplished feat. Equally surprising was his down-to-earth personality, and perhaps even under-inflated ego. He could have anyone, be accepted at any party, and yet he chose to hang out with the guys at the River Court, the one's he had always known… and Brooke. That friendship was even more intriguing than either of the A-listers involved. Nobody had been quite able to grasp the guy-and-girl-being-**just**-friends concept. That fateful day, Lucas had been on his way to meeting Brooke in the school courtyard, because they had the same free period. But he got a little sidetracked on his way there…_

"_Wow, I'm really sorry. Geez, I'm such a klutz, I'm so sorry," the Latina (and proud of it!) girl said, sounding mortified and scrambling to pick up the books she had dropped. Their hands touched as they both reached for a book at the same moment, and Lucas's thoughts instantly flicked to the random chick flick Brooke had made him watch the night before. Ridiculous. However, Luke was **way** too polite to laugh openly, especially when this girl seemed to think that there was a connection between them. _

"Yeah, I remember how you met. I laughed for a few hours over that one. I still can't believe you blew me off!" Brooke laughed.

"Yeah…" said Lucas, a sad smile tugging at his lips and a far-away look in his clear eyes, causing a mixture of sadness and jealousy to flare up in the girl on his lap.

"_So I'm going out with that new girl, Anna," Lucas said tentatively, a few weeks later. Brooke always was overprotective._

"_Do I know her?" Brooke raised her eyebrows, an inquisitive look on her pretty face._

"_You should… seeing as she's your new neighbor." _

"_Oh...oh! Oh, she's Felix's sister?"_

"_Yeah… um, is that cool with you?"_

"_Sure. I don't really know what you see in her, but I give you my best friendly permission to go out and try to be happy. Or at least stop brooding, for God's sake Luke!" Brooke said, a teasing grin on her face to match the smile crossing his._

"_Let's not get crazy."_

"You really loved her, didn't you? I can see it in your eyes, even now."

"I did. She was just so…_perfect_. You know?"

"Do I know about Anna's perfection? Nope, never bore witness. What a shame." Brooke attempted to lighten the mood, but Luke wasn't biting.

"We just had so much in common. And she was so sweet. And beautiful too…"

"And then Felix…"

"And then Felix," Luke nodded in agreement, resentment shining in his eyes.

"_Look Luke, I really loved you… but Felix is my brother. I have to trust him, stick by him… trust his judgment, you know? He's made me realize that you definitely aren't the kind of guy I even want to be friends with, never mind **be** with. I'm really sorry that it has to end this way," Anna had said, biting her lower lip and twisting her hands together nervously. _

He could still picture her perfectly in that moment. Anna, who had gone away to boarding school, and never contacted him since that day. Anna, who had left him broken, a shell of his former self. Even he could admit that. Brooke, still curled up, looked at her best friend and was a little bit shocked to find that his eyes which had previously been shining with resentment now shone with tears. A single one slipped down his cheek, and as sad as she was over Felix's betrayal, she had never been more heartbroken than at the sight of that lonely tear. Without thinking, she kissed it, stopping its path down his cheek, a gesture that had been repeated by both of them **_many_** times during their friendship. However, this time was different, because with her lips on his cheek, his eyes locked on hers, and unexpected warmth spread through her. _This_ was different, and he felt it too...

_Hurry! Click over to part II! (lol, it didn't feel right to stick both parts in the same chappie, so continue!) _


	11. Something Of Value

_Short update, but since I'm posting three at a time, I think you guys may let me slide, just this once.._

Disclaimer: I own nothing (lets pretend to be surprised)

**At The Heart Of It All**

_Chapter Ten, Part II_

Something Of Value

He carefully brushed the hair away from her face. This was all something they had done before, so why did it **_feel_** so special?

Brooke knew what she was feeling at the moment. A little thing they call lust. She felt it for him on the dance floor that night, and many times since then, where she wanted nothing more than for him to lean down and kiss her. She was surprisingly shocked when he actually did.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him closer, adjusting herself so she was no longer curled up, but straddling him. In typical Lucas fashion, he kept finding ways to pull her closer and closer until she wasn't quite she where she ended and he began. She parted her lips wider as he did, and their tongues met in the middle… _awkwardly_. At first…

However that feeling melting away as his hand made its way to the bare skin between her pants and her top. Suddenly it wasn't scary or awkward anymore; it was just good, like how you'd want a perfect kiss to be. Both were a little astounded by just how well their lips fit together…

Eventually Lucas pulled away a little. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. You felt bad for me, and I took advantage of you. I'm really sorry Cheery."

Huh? "Don't be! It's fine Luke, really. It's been a while since I've been kissed by somebody who knows what he's doing anyway," she said, and both laughed at her slight insult to Felix.

Brooke resumed her curled up position, and they continued watching their movie. Both were a little unnerved by just how comfortable they felt. Wasn't it supposed to be weird afterwards? _Thinking_ about it made them feel a little uncomfortable…

"So…" Lucas said, shattering the relative silence.

"So… that was pretty hot!" Brooke giggled, and Lucas nodded, joining her in laughter.

_Like it? Hate it? Totally disappointed? Lol REVIEW! Haha, thanks for reading! _

_Remember, the faster you review, the faster I write… not that I'm trying to bribe you or anything.. D_

_Xo Sam _


	12. Author's Note!

_**Author's Note**_

_Thanks you guys, for all the reviews, and I really hope you keep reading. Thanks to **Katy**, who made me see that I'm sort of rushing myself a little bit, and prompted me to step back and examine the writing. I hadn't really realized it had gone so far downhill, so thank you. I'm going to try to continue updating regularly, but I can't promise you three chapters at a time like I actually did crank out a few times since I first posted **At The Heart Of It All**… _

_I can promise you that the chapters will be getting longer though. The writing is kind of reflecting my current life, apparently… a bit rushed, and kind of fraying at the seams. However, as I've probably mentioned, school's drawing to a close, and softball's almost over, so that means I'll have more time for this story. Just be warned…_

_Real life is a writer's biggest adversary. Lol_

_I know that I turned the Brucas bff chat and their kiss into two chapters and called them 10 and 10.2 (it felt really wrong to have them have their "first" big kiss in a chapter where he talks about how he loved Anna…) but because I don't want to mess up the numbering done by fanfiction. net(yeah, I'm semi-anal about things like that), we'll just pretend that 10.2 was 11. _

_To **volleyball3887**: Lol join the club! I was on a semi-rampage after what they did to brucas in the season finale!.:sniffles:. _

_You guys were right on with your Peyton predictions. Believe me, she's not going anywhere just yet… because where's the fun in that? Lol_

_The next chapter will be called "Just Watch The Fireworks" (and I'm not telling you which way to take that! Lol) and I'll place it up here to replace the text, because I'm really anal about the chapter number and the fanfiction. net number matching up, as I said before lol. So I hope that you'll all read that, and I'll try to get it up as soon as possible… definitely before the week is over, hopefully either tomorrow or Thursday. _

_Xo Sam _


	13. Just Watch The Fireworks

_Well, I'm sick today, so that means a day off of school for me and some more updates for you guys! Enjoy. .:sneezes:. _

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, not the characters or locations mentioned, or even Burger King… but, I am eating one of those Hershey Sundae Pies, which everyone should, because they're **great**.

**At The Heart Of It All**

_Chapter 12 _

Just Watch The Fireworks

Lucas loved basketball, but not as much as he loved the River Court. It was his sort of solace, a quiet place where he could be alone. Whenever Nathan went to practice alone (or just to prove how tough he was), he went to play ball in the abandoned school gym… but that just wasn't for Lucas. He preferred the natural, uninhabited atmosphere that "his" court provided. He loved to watch the water floating past him, the bright city lights reflecting, a disco under the surf.

He had discovered long ago that water was good for thinking. It alone, it was a very ponderous matter. It could be so much fun, made for a swim. It can represent all your heartache or your joy in a simple tear sliding down your cheek. It can sustain you, a cool drink of water on a sweltering summer's day. Or it can pull you under completely. 'Just like Brooke…' Lucas thought with a sigh.

He'd left his house early that morning, just like he always did, to go down to the court to play. When he awoke, he found Brooke spooned closely against him, and listening to her whimpers of protest as he pulled away almost prompted him to change his routine. Almost. So though he'd had the intention of getting some good time on the court, he found himself sitting on a bench, staring out at the water that he both loved and feared, and thinking about _her_.

--------

"Luke?" Brooke groaned, reaching for the spot where he had laid that night. Instead of his hair, her hand found a crisp sheet of paper. Grabbing it with the tips of her chipped nails (note to self: re-do French manicure!), she flipped it open and found that he had gone to the River Court. Color her surprised. Squinting in the bright lights, she took a moment to let the events of the night before flood back to her: her, Lucas, movie, Anna, talk, tear, kiss—**_kiss_**? She let out a satisfied smile. It _had_ been good. But how weird was that? She kissed her best friend. With tongue. 'Guess it's a good thing Peyton's not still my best friend.' Brooke thought. She made a face at both herself and her thought in the mirror. 'Please Davis, be a little weirder…'

However, Brooke did have one regret. How much more complicated would this make her relationship with Lucas? Already she had all these new feelings for him, and God knows she couldn't say them to him. He probably just kissed her on impulse. It probably didn't mean anything to him. The worst part was, she couldn't even confide in Haley… because Haley thought that Brooke and Lucas really **were** dating, and why would she care if they had kissed? What's so angsty about that? Geez, Hales had no idea.

"Fine…he wants to leave without waking me up. No hot water for him!" the brunette said with a little cackle before dashing into the bathroom, dodging all the sports memorabilia of his and movie stuff from the night before, strewn all about the room--- just missing her second voicemail of the morning.

--------

"So Haley needs a boyfriend, I'm thinking," Brooke said, her face lighting up. Lucas could practically see the wheels turning in her head as she grabbed the only remaining unburned French fry off his plate. Rolling his eyes, he was about to mention that he was going to eat that, but decided against it.

"Interesting logic. What does this have to do with me? Last time I checked, I was your fake boyfriend. I can't be hers too!"

"Not **you** be her boyfriend doofus! Broody, come on! I need your help!" she pleaded in a low voice. Lucas looked wearily around the café, able to see all from their vantage point in the corner. He glanced around the small, cozy restaurant, deep eyes skimming casually over the room, until they came to rest on a much disheveled looking Haley taking Nathan's order, but it looked a **lot** more like _flirting_ to Luke. Lucas watched, very interested.

"Broody? You with me? Helllooooo? Luke? What are you looking a--- Oh my God! That is so cool! Now Tutor Girl can hook up with Nathan and make Jake absolutely green with envy!" Brooke squealed, and he noticed that she did that adorable little clapping thing she always did when she was excited.

"Cheery… do you have any idea how many things can possibly go wrong with that plan?"

"Well, duh. A lot of things could've gone wrong with our plan too. But so far, I don't think either of us are complaining," she purred suggestively. Instead of laughing like he usually would, Lucas stared deeply into her eyes. Opening his mouth to say something, _anything_, Haley walked over. Her voice was cheerful, but a crimson blush stained her cheeks.

"Hey guys! What's up?"

"Nothing's up with us Tutor Girl, but I'd love to ask you the same question."

"What do you mean by that, Tigger?"

"Well, your face is as red as my nail polish," Brooke began, waving her hand around for emphasis. "And Natey Boy over there hasn't stopped staring at you ever since you walked away!"

"Cheery… your nails are white."

"Wow, thanks for stealing my thunder, Luke."

"Anytime, babe," he said easily, taking her hand and lacing his fingers through hers. Stroking her palm with his rough thumb, he looked up towards Haley to see what she made of the exchange, trying to gauge her reaction, wondering if anybody actually bought that he and his best friend were a couple. Word around school was that they were, in fact, faking it, because they'd never had "the announcement kiss", and as popular juniors, that was pretty much a requirement. Brooke was completely stricken though. The spark she'd felt, it had shot through her so suddenly, so unexpectedly. Catching Luke's eye, she saw him grin and knew he felt it too. She felt a silly little grin spread across her face.

"You two are so cute together! But I'll leave you lovebirds alone. See ya!"

"Bye Ha—wow, you'd think that she'd let me get out her whole name before she scrambled back over to your brother. Why don't let just get it on and release the world of this tension!"

"Brooke. This is probably their first actual conversation. And besides, I don't think any of the other customers would really appreciate it if they 'released their tension' here and 'got it on', as you so delicately put it. I know I wouldn't," Lucas said, rolling his eyes. She noted that he still hadn't removed his hands.

"Why don't we get out of here?" he asked, and she raised her eyebrows. "God Cheery, get your mind out of the gutter!"

"Can't blame a girl for trying!" she tossed off, rubbing against him as she went to go get her coat from behind the counter.

--------

The walls shook, the floor shook, the people shook. It was a typical Saturday night at Tric. The "In" Crowd was all there, so of course Brooke and Lucas could be found sitting together at a booth. She was perched on his lap, in an open display of their newfound "couple"-dom, but quite a few people in the club could remember her in a similar spot on many a drunken night. But of course, nobody mentioned that. Instead they commented on how great Lucas and Brooke were together, how adorable they were, how gorgeous she was, and the same for him. They said nothing but, "I know!" and "Thank you," depending on the question, but you know what they say… actions speak louder than words. By the time the seventh person approached them, Brooke was beaming with a pleasant mixture of pride and giddiness, and Lucas was looking down at her with something that could only be adoration.

"Luke, you better take good care of her. She's quite a woman," a basketball player said, words laced with mockery and innuendo but neither member of the happy mock-couple cared.

"I know," Lucas said, wrapping his strong arms around her tiny waist and pulling her closer to him. He placed a chaste kiss to her forehead, and they melted into each other as if that was how they always had been. How they were always meant to be.

------

"Hey Broody… have you seen Hales?" asked Brooke around a half an hour later, sitting up, ignoring his noises of protest.

"No… maybe we should look for her?" Lucas responded, concern flooding his eyes that held such depth. That was one of the things Brooke loved about him, how he could care so much about someone he barely knew. It had been only a few days since Haley and Lucas had lunch together, but he was already prepared to swoop in and be her savior.

"You have such a knight in shining armor complex," Brooke laughed, but grabbed his large hand and pulled him with her through the club in pursuit of her scholarly friend.

------

"Luke? Have you seen her yet? Do you think that she's okay?" Brooke babbled, panic starting to set in after not being able to find Haley, fifteen minutes later. They had searched high and low, inside and outside the club and hadn't seen hide nor hair of the petite brunette.

"Um… I think she's just fine. More than fine actually. I'm sure she's great, er, having a great time… um…"

"Lucas, what the hell are you looking at? Where is Haley?" Brooke demanded. Luke gaped wordlessly, and just gestured to a dark corner of the club. Brooke spun, her hair slapping mercilessly against his face, but neither of them noticed. They were both in shock. Because there in that corner was Haley James, the one and only Tutor Girl, making out with Nathan Scott.

"So I guess we found Haley," Lucas said unnecessarily, uneasily clearing his throat.

"Hell yes we found Haley! Oh my GOD! Broody, this is SO AWESOME! Wait… there's one thing that will make this more awesome," Brooke said, hurriedly opening her purse and pulling out her phone. She quickly spanned a picture of Haley and Nathan in the corner.

"I didn't realize you were that much of a voyeur," Lucas said, eyebrows raised.

"Oh, that isn't for me. It's for Jake!" she giggled. They both laughed as they realized how simple the plan was, and how effective it would be. Even if Jake wasn't at Tric tonight, he'd certainly get an eyeful.

"So, do you think we should let them know that they're in public?"

"Nah Broody… just sit back and watch the fireworks," Brooke said easily, leaning against him.

"Or make your own…" he suggested innocently.

"Luke! What…?" Brooke laughed.

"Shh… no more talking," he said, slowly backing up with her still in his arms. Brooke's eyes widened even further in surprise when she felt her back hit the wall… or saw his arm come up next to her head… or felt him inch closer and closer… or smelled his cologne, the smell she loved more than anything, that was so distinctly him…or felt him lean in closer, lowering his head to hers, tipping her chin upwards…

Shock gave way to giddy anticipation as she met his lips halfway.

_Like it? Hate it? Ahh, I really want your opinion on this chapter! Lol. That's why I'm posting it in the Chapter 13 slot and leaving the Author's Note up, even though the numbering system is really killing me lol. I just wanted to make sure that nobody would get confused with the disappearance and end up missing the chapter. So, **please** leave your comments, because I'm dying to know what y'all think! Thanks for reading!_

_xo Sam _


	14. The Truth Can Be A Brutal Business

Well, thanks for the awesome views guys! You're all so great! Especially thanks to **kelseylynn00**, for the mention in your story. By the way, all of you guys should read her story But It Felt So Good, because it's great. I'm actually reading it even though it's not a guaranteed Brucas! Lol! Anyway, your sort of shout out totally made my day, so I thought I'd try to return the favor lol…

Note: **Brooke** **will NOT get pregnant by Lucas in this story**! Lol one of my friends was reading this and that's the question they asked me, so I thought I'd clear it up for you. Although, maybe the question shouldn't have been so specific…

**Disclaimer**: I own a pair of strappy sandals that have been dyed _perfectly_ to match my dress for a formal dance that I went to this Friday, but since this story is about One Tree Hill and not the dance, I've got nothing. Though I guess I also own the blisters that the shoes gave me…

**At the Heart of It All**

_Chapter Thirteen _

The Truth Can Be A Brutal Business

"Broody?" Brooke questioned into the silence of the small room, reaching for a boy that wasn't there. She just had to wonder why she kept waking up alone. Propping herself up on her elbows, leaving small indents in the soft cotton of Luke's bed, she tried to recall the events that lead to this. The right side of the bed, the one that he usually occupied, remained completely unwrinkled, reinforcing Brooke's previous suspicion that she had been very alone that night. There was no note, so she knew that he hadn't just left for the River Court, because he **_always_** left a note. She used to tease him about it and take the words written in his messy, shaky writing on plain white paper completely for granted. She never realized that she'd miss them.

Stretching languidly, she felt a bizarre soreness in the center of her lower back. Reaching to rub it, the events of last night came back to her all too clearly…

_She'd reached up to meet his lips half-way, adrenaline coursing through her veins. Never had she so eagerly anticipated contact. Their mouths grazed each other in a feather-light kiss, before Brooke felt him pull away slightly. This simply wouldn't do, she thought to herself as she grabbed him, wrapping her arms around him, kissing him harder. This time he hesitated for only a second before opening his mouth and plunging his tongue into hers with a ferocity she hadn't foreseen. They kissed with an intensity that seemed to come from everywhere and no where at all. His fingers danced cross the bare skin of her back, hers across his neck and down his chest. Brooke could feel something inside of her building, and knew that this should no longer be a public event._

_"Luke…" she started, breaking away. His fingertips traveled, shooting sparks straight to her spine. "Luke! Not here…" she began, fighting to get the words out in-between collisions of his lips and hers. He said nothing, but her fingers entwined in his hair told her that he nodded. Moving his hands to her waist, he started to back up again. The next part was a whirlwind, and somehow they ended up stumbling down the path to his bedroom door, fumbling to make contact. Apparently kissing her was too distracting to focus on opening the door, so Lucas merely pushed her against it and continued. 'Ouch!' she had tried to say as her back had hit the doorknob, but the words were swallowed before they'd made a sound. Somehow, Brooke managed to get the door open and sent them tumbling inside._

_He traced a line of kisses down her jaw, moving his head to avoid her lips, teasing her. Pulling away briefly, he pulled her top over her head as she went to work on his belt buckle, his shirt a thing of the past. Her lips found his again as his hand easily unclasped her bra. _

_"Wait Luke…" she said as he moved his lips to her neck. She felt tingly, and feint, and strange, and she had no idea what to do with this feeling. Her first instinct was to run with it, but she opened her eyes to see a picture of her and Lucas at his eighth birthday party sitting on his nightstand. Casting an affectionate gaze at the youngsters with chocolate dripping down their faces, then an equally affectionate gaze at the teenager kissing her, she knew then that she had to stop. Lucas was not in love with her, stop told herself repetitively. This is just going to ruin everything and… oh God…_

_"Hum?" he asked, his voice a deep vibration along the sensitive skin of her neck._

_"We shouldn't do this," she said, her voice unsteady, trying to convince both him and herself._

_"It's not like we haven't before…" he trailed off, fingering the top of her underwear._

_"That was different!"_

_"How so?" he asked, trailing kisses along her jaw line. She could feel her resolve weakening, but looking at the picture, she knew that she couldn't give up the friendship without a fight. 'He's not in love with me… he's not in love with me…'_

_"Experimentation! This is different Luke, because you're still in love with An—" Broke attempted to cut herself off, realizing her huge mistake, by pulling his head down to her and kissing him deeply. However, he barely responded and when she pulled away, he had a stony look on his face. His eyes looked as if they were chipped out of ice. She could feel him withdrawing, recoiling, even though he hadn't moved an inch. And so they stayed for the next minute, him hovering above her, both half-naked, "best friends for life" when one wanted so much more. Finally, he did retreat, his facial expressions closed off to the girl who could always read him so well. He grabbed a pair of pajama pants and slid them off, studiously ignoring the quivering brunette lying on his bed, the white sheet clutched to her chest and tears pooling in her green eyes. _

_He exited quietly, shutting the door behind him, but Brooke could hear the closet door open. She could visualize him pulling out a pillow and blanket and heading out to the couch. She wanted nothing more than for him to be laying next to her though, as the tears that formed in her eyes slid silently down her cheek, unnoticed by all. _

_"He's not in love with me!" she had whispered in anguish to the empty room that had never felt colder. It gave her no response._

"He's not in love with me…" Brooke said out loud, lying back on the pillows, trying to convince herself that she had made the right choice. Except, now she wasn't so sure…

The thing she had wanted more than anything for weeks (aside from revenge on Felix of course, but that could take as long as she wanted), she had just turned down. And alienated her best friend, the guy who agreed to pretend to date her just so that she could stop hurting, and the one who had always been there for her… the one that she wanted it with. She had wanted to save their friendship, but with her current perspective, she had probably ruined it anyway. Anna had always been a sore spot, a gaping wound in his life… and she had just dumped salt in it. She knew that he didn't care about not getting sex from her. Lucas just wasn't like that. But she had really hit him where it hurt, and nothing would change that. At least, not for the time being. So for right now, she'd go into the shower, use up all the hot water and pretend she hadn't cried herself to sleep last night.

--------

The mirror was completely fogged over and the air was humid. The only sounds in the room were that of running water and the humming of a head cheerleader as she rinsed conditioner out of her hair.

"You're taking forever, Brooke!" the bathroom door swung open with a loud thump as it hit the wall behind it. His voice sounded irritated, and her face registered disbelief.

"Um, Luke… you do realize that you have a transparent shower curtain…" she began awkwardly, trailing off and turning so that he wouldn't get as much of an eyeful.

"Yeah," he said, his eyes quickly skimming her body but his face remained impassive. Brooke was more than slightly unnerved by this change she had only seen a few times in her life. "But you know what I don't have? Hot water if you continue to take fifteen hour showers. So kindly hurry the hell up!"

Brooke stood shocked long after the door had snapped closed, fighting a losing battle, trying to keep the showerhead as the only waterworks in the bathroom. Finally conceding defeat, she turned to scrub off a new set of tears.

--------

"It was different. Jack loved Rose, not that random Swedish girl from steerage!" Brooke sobbed, watching the love scene in the Renault carriage in Titanic, and completely ignoring the bewildered stares Haley was shooting her. Haley blinked. What was **_up_** with Brooke today?

"Tigger… um… you know…ah… are you okay?"

"Huh? Yeah, just fine…" Brooke mumbled in response, looking away.

"Right. And I failed Algebra. C'mon Brookie, you know that you can tell me what's up!"

Brooke wasn't sure whether it was Haley's voice, confident in their friendship, or her warm, concerned brown eyes, but she somehow found herself compelled to tell her everything. It would be so nice to have somebody to confide in, someone that she could trust with everything. It would be so nice to just confess. And so she did.

Fifteen minutes later, Brooke found herself out of breath and sobbing hysterically onto a shocked Haley's shoulder. Instead of the girl's usual words of wisdom, she found herself shocked speechless, and when she finally spoke, it was these words. "Huh. Imagine that."

"What?" Brooke snapped, wiping her eyes.

"It's just… it seemed so obvious that you guys were like, _in love_. Like L-O-V-E-mad crushed out. And now you told me that you weren't even really together, and that you might not even be friends anymore. It's a lot to take in."

"Tell me about it."

"You know that you're going to have to talk to him eventually."

"Eventually."

"Why not sooner than later?"

"Because rejection hurts," Brooke said, a few more tears slipping down her cheek as she laid down on the plush red sofa to watch the end of the epic about a doomed cruise ship and wondering if her own relationships were bound to be just as fatal.

_Er... like it? Hate it? Let me know! Next chapter will have more of Luke's POV, but I just really wanted to get out what's going on in Brooke's head first. I'm totally about to crash from the party tonight, and so I'm not going to update again tonight, but maybe tomorrow...? It's up to you guys!_

_Thanks for reading!_

_xo Sam_


	15. From The Past Comes The Storm

_Hey everybody! Thanks for your reviews, I love getting the feedback. Special shout out to Lucas'gr8 for being the only one who picked up on my subtle wording … (and possible hinting.) You guys are probably going to totally hate me for this chapter, but I've just got to put it in here. This story isn't totally fluff lol. I had to edit and rewrite this chapter a lot to make it fit (lol you should see some of the other versions. They **totally **suck.) So I hope you guys enjoy it… let me know._

Disclaimer: I own nothing… except for the icepack that is slowly nursing my feet back to health. Stupid pretty shoes.

**At The Heart of It All**

_Chapter Fourteen_

From The Past Comes the Storm

2:30 AM blinked from his alarm clock, brutally bright, the bold red letters showing no mercy. Lucas turned over in his bed with a sigh. He had been tossing and turning all night, thinking over the events of last night and how stupid he had been. How could he have just left her without saying anything?

_Anna._

Even the sound of her name cut him deep, the syllables slicing him apart. That was why he had left Brooke lying there, on the verge of tears. Just the mention of **_her_** and he was instantly on edge… and he wondered when it was ever going to stop hurting.

He knew Brooke knew it wasn't just about sex. Lucas guessed that she was most likely right in the first place, they shouldn't do anything to jeopardize their delicate (as of lately) relationship. But he knew inside that he truthfully wouldn't have had any regrets. Actually, he was almost scared by the fact that he had never wanted anyone more than he had wanted Brooke Davis last night. Then she said those cursed syllables. Just the sound sent him back then, making him feel disloyal to what they once had, then angry over the fact that it was over and she **_still _**haunted him. A guilt trip that he didn't deserve.

He felt like even more of an ass when he thought of how much Brooke must be hurting at the moment. He hadn't spoken to her since shutting his bedroom door, no contact with her since that desperate kiss. Lucas wanted to talk to her, he **really **did… but what do you say to someone to apologize when you aren't even sure what happened?

--------

2:30 AM blinked from the alarm clock. It was the first thing that Brooke saw as she groggily opened her eyes, and she rather wished she didn't. A pounding headache had taken up residence, accompanied with a very nauseous settling in the pit of her stomach. This was the last time she partyed on a Sunday... even though she had promised Lucas that _last_ time was "the" last time.Struggling to sit up, maybe go and find herself some water and an aspirin, she found that her efforts were hindered by a tan, masculine arm thrown territorially across her waist.

_Oh God…_

Her eyes followed the tan hand to a bent elbow, to a shoulder, to a neck covered in hickeys, and, stifling her urge to gag right then, up to a handsome face belonging to the scum of the earth, in her opinion.

"_**AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH  
**__**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH  
**__**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH  
**__**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH  
**__**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH  
**__**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH  
**__**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH  
**__**HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**"_ Brooke wailed, letting out a scream that shattered the silence of the entire neighborhood, maybe even town.

"Haha… I can even make you scream in my sleep," the smug tone hung in the air as Felix made himself more comfortable, opening his eyes and wearing a lazy grin.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Don't tell me you don't remember! It was some of your best work, in my opinion."

"Oh my God… oh my God… get out. Get out! Get the hell out NOW!" hyperventilated Brooke, panic starting to set in.

"But Brooke…"

"No Felix! Out! Get out! Get out of my room! Get out of my life! Get OUT! OUT! OUT! OUT!" Brooke shrieked, pummeling him with a pillow for effect and shoving him off the bed. "I HATE YOU! I don't even care what else you have to say, LEAVE!"

"Girl, I love it when you're feisty," Felix called as he exited her room.

And for the second time that weekend, Brooke went to sleep shattered, crying herself to sleep and wondering how she was ever going to face school in… 6 hours? She would have to see Lucas then… touch Lucas then. How could she possibly touch her best friend, such a great person, doing such a great thing for her, after his? How could she even look him in the eye? How could she drink when she'd promised him that she wouldn't? How could she keep doing this? Finally she lost the battle she had been fighting against her nausea, and eventually found her way to a troubled rest.

--------

The lockers were puke green, and Brooke had always hated them. Seriously, as if all the schooling going on didn't make them feel sick enough. They looked even worse in the dim fluorescent lighting of the main hallway. Then in walked a boy with golden hair and bright blue eyes, a sharp contrast to the never-ending bleakness. It was surprising to Brooke that when he saw her, his smile reached his eyes. But she would take what she could get. However, she dreaded the moment when he would come over and hug her as he always did. Couldn't he feel the guilt radiating off her? She definitely wasn't worthy of his smile, and she had almost come up with a reason to avoid his arms when he finally caught up to her and hugged her. She couldn't have moved if she tried.

"I'm so sorry, Cheery," he whispered into her ear, his breath tickling the sensitive skin.

At this she burst into sobs, thinking of all that she had done, and how he was still the one to apologize. Gently, Lucas led her to an empty classroom, confused as anything as to why she was crying, but willing as ever to allow her to shed her tears on his shoulder.

"I'm really sorry Brooke. I shouldn't have pushed it. You were right, as usual, and I'm **_so _**sorry. I totally overreacted. I don't even know why _she_ still has that effect on me, even the sound of her, just—I—God, this is hard. I don't know why I acted the way I did, but there's no excuse for it when you were just trying to do the right thing. I'm sorry Cheery. Forgive me?" he pleaded, smoothing down her hair as she sat on the desk in as he stood in front of it. Her arms were around his neck and her face was buried in his chest and he could feel her tears slipping down. As he finished his little speech, he delicately lifted her chin with a finger to look her in her startlingly green eyes. They were red-rimmed and puffy, but she gave him a watery smile anyway.

"Yeah, we're cool."

--------

"So I hear that you're cheating on me," he began conversationally, shooting a sly glance at the brunette to his left, and smiling a little. This tone was light, but there was something dark in his eyes as they grazed over her, the court, and the river. Jealousy… suspicion… hurt… or maybe she was just imagining the whole thing. Nobody could ever really tell what was going on when Lucas was playing games (hints as to why he was so invincible on the basketball court). He was smiling though, that seemed to be a good sign. However, Brooke was completely startled. How had he found out! She had vowed to completely forget about what happened with Felix, even more, that Lucas would never, _ever_ know.

"What!"

"Yeah… Peyton's been going around telling everybody that you like Jake Jagelski. Any idea where that came from?" he laughed, and Brooke forced one out too. The panic vanished from her, replaced with a heavy sense of guilt.

"Oh… that's just because I totally tore her apart over making out with Jake in a supply closet. Because of Jake and Haley, you know?"

"Vaguely."

"Yeah. I can't believe him. He's one of those guys that you think are really _nice_ and, like,different, you know? And then he does something like that to Haley!"

"You sure you don't like him?" Lucas asked, his brow furrowed.

"Positive."

"Of course. I know how you feel about cheaters… you probably like him about as much as you like Felix, and God knows you wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole," Luke laughed, a golden sound that Brooke tried to burn into her memory. She had had so long to know him, and they had come so far in their relationship, but lately she felt that it was so fragile, so volatile, that any move could possibly blow it apart. If that happened, she knew that she would be lost, but for now, she tried to savor the memories of happy days with her best friend.

_Broody, you've got no idea…_

Brooke made a noncommittal noise in her throat, and turned her head up to look at Lucas from its previous position on his shoulder… just as he had turned his head down to look at her. Their lips met somewhere in the middle, and both were shocked into paralysis for a moment. But that only lasted a moment, until his tongue traced her bottom lip, and she eagerly responded. The kiss was sweet and achingly slow, and they broke apart smiling at each other. He playfully nibbled at her neck and---

"Ahem."

Someone cleared their throat awkwardly on the court, and both Lucas and Brooke's heads snapped towards the sound. Neither looked guilty, because they were a "couple", and socially acceptable couples could go a lot farther than they just did. They were expecting to see Bevin, or Theresa, or even Peyton or Felix, but not who was there. Brooke was immediately embarrassed, a flush covering her cheeks, but she was so shocked that her jaw literally dropped. She corrected herself when she realized how rude that was, and she bit her lip nervously, but Lucas's expression was much different. Shock. Joy? Pain. Guilt.

"Hello Luke."

_Anna._

_------------_

_Like it? Hate it? Make your opinion known lol! I'll update as soon as I can. But, you know, reviews are always incentive ;-). Thanks for reading!_

_Xo Sam_


	16. Wreck Of The Day

_Hey everybody! Thanks for reviewing (and for not sending the angry townspeople after me) for the last chapter. Also, thanks for the lack of hate mail. Lol. Especially thanks to Amanda, because I'm having a really sucky day, and your review really made me laugh. To Brucas69, yes, it was a little over the top, but there's a method to the madness lol. There's lots more drama to come, but right now, I bear the gift of fluffy brucas-ness. Enjoy! _

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I especially don't own One Tree Hill, anything associated with it, or Bright Eyes, or the song A Perfect Sonnet… because if I did, I'd probably be a lot more successful…

**At The Heart of It All**

_Chapter Fifteen_

Wreck Of The Day

The house was too damn thick! Brooke and Haley had been attempting to eavesdrop on Lucas and Anna from the second they had returned from the court, but they couldn't hear **_anything_**. They had tried the walls, the doors, using glasses. The friends had tried just about everything, but they had no clue as to what was going on inside Lucas's bedroom. And so, the two brunettes were currently sitting on the floor of Karen's bedroom, playing Go Fish.

"Got any twos?"

"Go fish. Got any fours?"

"Go fish. Got any better ideas on what to play?"

"Go fish." Haley said, making both of the girls crack up. However, Haley noticed that Brooke seemed slightly… **_distracted_**. And it wasn't very hard to figure out why.

"I'm sure that they're not having sex."

"What!" Brooke yelped, startled.

"Nothing's going on between them, Tigger! You saw just as clearly as I did how stunned he looked when he came into the house. It was like he was sleep walking. Besides, I'm thinking we would hear something… unless it's just not good."

"It's **not** that," Brooke responded distractedly, deep in thought and missing the pointed, questioning look her newest friend shot at her. "I'm just really worried about him, you know? I mean, she's**_ Anna_**! She's like a legend here. Some days she feels more like she was always a myth instead of a person. Just say the word and Luke's out of control."

"She really messed him up," Haley nodded in agreement.

"That she did. Urghh! I hate her! Bitch!" Brooke pummeled her pillow.

"That's maturity Brooke," Haley teased.

"Shut up Tutor Girl!"

"Love you too."

--------

Luke couldn't believe his eyes. Or ears. None of his senses seemed to be working properly. He _must_ be having a malfunction, because it seemed that Anna was sitting in front of him on his bed, saying something along the lines of an apology, and stroking his hand. He closed his eyes and shook his head. Nope, she was still there.

"Lucas? Are you listening?"

"Um… yeah."

"Well, I just poured my heart out to you! Give me some sort of reaction here!"

"Anna… what the hell are you doing here?" he asked, withdrawing from her.

"Well, I'm back in town for personal reasons. But I'm here, with you, because I feel like that's where I always should've been. Lucas, I love---"

"LUKE!" Brooke crashed through the door, Haley hot on her tail. He looked up at her expectantly. How did she constantly have the perfect timing? She was always his savior.

"There's a… um… game show on?" Haley stuttered, her tone questioning at the end. She bit her lip, trying **_really_** hard not to laugh, but the expression on Anna's face made that very hard. Looking at Brooke, she thought it was safe to say the same for her.

"That's nice, Hannah. Now, if you don't mind, Lucas and I were in the middle of a really important, really personal conversation, so you can just---"Anna began, her tone condescending.

"My name is **Haley**," she said, eyes blazing, teeth gritted, all traces of laughter gone to her face. Haley was a sweet girl most of the time, but everybody knew not to mess with her.

"Her name is Haley," Brooke nodded, trying to lighten the mood a little. Lucas met her eyes and cracked a grin. Mission accomplished.

"Anyway Broody, like our pal _Haley_ here said, the game show is on. Wanna watch?"

"Erm, Brooke, I'm sure he can catch your game show later, we're talking about something much more important and—"Anna started, her irritation clear.

"There is nothing more important than this game show! It's a new episode! Besides, I'm sure that if this conversation could wait the year and a half that you left Lucas here, it can wait a few more days!"

"Brooke, this is really none of your business!"

"Yes, it is," a calm, quiet voice rang in the room, and all the girls stopped their bickering to look at the source. Anna's face fell, Brooke's light up, and Haley smiled in amusement at the scene before her. She had never told anybody about it before, but she had always loved soap operas, and even those cheesy teen melodramas they have on at night. And this was a soap opera if she'd ever seen one.

Brooke had softly laid her hand on Lucas's shoulder for comfort, and didn't allow her face to register surprise when he took her hand and used it to gently pull her down onto the chair with him. He lightly kissed her knuckles, and Brooke snuggled in closer to him. Anna raised her eyebrows, and her body language seemed to radiate anger, demanding a response.

"Brooke's my girlfriend now, Anna."

And it was her turn to be shocked.

--------

They lay entwined on the living room sofa, as they had so many times before. She faced away from him, head on his chest. His large hand stroked her side, gently entangling with her hair, then moving it down again. Brooke gave a contented sigh as she moved closer to him. Lucas had always enjoyed these nights, where Brooke would refrain from partying and stay home with him and just watch movies. Of course, the cuddling didn't hurt. However, tonight the atmosphere wasn't light. There was an elephant in the room, and Anna made for a hell of a large one.

"You wanna talk about it? I think that the game shows are over anyway," she whispered turning her head to look him in the eye, a little smile tugging at her lips. She could feel him quiver a little behind her, and knew what she should do. Brooke caught him off-guard when she rolled over and found herself on top of him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and lay forehead to forehead with him. Physical closeness was something she could understand.

"You know Cheery… we should get married one day," he said softly, moving her hair out of her eyes.

"Humm… that was random. Reasoning?" she asked with raised eyebrows, laughter in her voice.

"Because I've never been as comfortable with anybody as I am with you. And aren't you supposed to be best friends with the person you marry? Well, half-way there."

"Very true. Although I think you're supposed to want to get married, **_then _**become best friends… but we'll exclude that part, since I'm not sure."

"And you're pretty hot. So we don't have to worry about the kids being ugly."

"Also true. Haha… this is actually starting to sound like a good idea. Okay, agreed, we'll get married when we're older."

"Okay."

"Remember when I found you after she left?" Brooke changed the subject, a shift to a deeper, darker one that he'd obviously rather avoid.

"Um, yes."

"You were playing that song… the one about the sonnet…"

"A Perfect Sonnet… Bright Eyes."

"Yeah, that one. I love that song now."

"Huh."

"Yeah…after Felix and I were over, I listened to it a lot. It kind of made sense. The whole heartbroken aspect."

"Brooke…"

"I know its hard Broody. But just know that I'm here when you're ready to talk again. It's weird with her back. But I'll always be here for you."

"I know," he said quietly, playing with her hand.

Her eyes locked on his as they spoke. He had always been able to do that, to pierce her with his stare, to penetrate her soul. She would've hated it if it was anyone else, but Lucas was an exception to all where Brooke was concerned.

It was about half an inch, he calculated. Half an inch between their lips, and if he moved just a little bit, they would be kissing…again. After Anna had left in a huff, and Haley had awkwardly excused herself, saying that she was needed at the café, she and their kiss were all he had been thinking about. She was so beautiful, she really was. And she was also intelligent, and charismatic, and she made him laugh, and she was so loyal. She always knew just what he needed, as she had shown many times that day. Lucas really did wonder how he got so lucky as to have a girl like her care about him (although some might wonder how he got so lucky as to have Brooke Davis lying on top of him). And so he did it, he did it on impulse, he inclined his chin a little bit, and their lips were touching.

They kissed slowly and languidly. She sucked slowly on his bottom lip, until he flipped them over so that he was on top. Brooke let out a little giggle at this action (_How macho_, she thought with a little eye-roll) until his lips came down upon hers once more, and she felt herself becoming a little light-headed as he began stroking her skin. Eventually, they broke apart slowly, him licking her lips, and they smiled at each other. They made the easy transition back to their former positions. For a moment in time, they were perfect… but then Brooke spoke.

"Broody, I know that the timing on this sucks… especially because that was so _amazing_… but as your honorary best friend, and as of now, future wife, and current fake girlfriend and apparent lover—"

"Which is very nice."

"It is… but you need to tell me how you feel about Anna coming back. I don't want you to keep this stuff bottled up Luke. It'll make you even more broody, and I don't think the world is big enough for all this mopey-ness. I think you're trying to keep yourself in denial about the whole thing, and I care about you waaaaaaay too much to let that happen."

His eyes darkened, and Brooke thought for a second that his walls had gone back up. She leaned over and nuzzled her nose against his, then moved down and placed her lips against his neck, and laced her fingers with his, stroking his hand, gently coaxing the truth out of him. She wasn't that surprised when his body began to shake underneath her. The tears dropping onto the shoulder of her shirt didn't bother her. She hadn't really seen Lucas like this since the time when they were so much younger, and he had realized for the first time what had _really _happened with Dan and Karen. Brooke had held him through the night then, and she knew that she would do it again tonight, and every hard night to come.

"She's back Brookie… she's really here. I _saw_ her… you saw her… I _felt_ her. God Brooke, she's really here," he sobbed into her shoulder. She knew it was going to be a long night, but she really didn't care. She might be late for school tomorrow. She may not show up at all. He could cry all the tears he needed to, bawl right into the morning. Brooke was there for Lucas. Period.

_. : bites lip nervously:. What do you guys think? I've got some super-mixed feelings on this chapter, and it was really hard to crank out, so any feedback is uber-appreciated! Thanks for reading!_

_Xo Sam_


	17. Takes You By Surprise

H_ey everybody! Thanks to the reviewers, because reviews always make my day… and (but don't let it get around!) I do occasionally alter my stories according to reviewer response. You guys have some awesome ideas! Anyway, I really want to thank lala for making my day, possibly my week. Your review meant so much to me! To care44, I'm sorry that I'm confusing you. Lol, I'm a little confused myself as I'm writing the chapters, but Lucas is definitely the more confused one. Basically, he's currently **attracted** to Brooke (his best friend, and acting-girlfriend), but the scars from Anna haven't quite healed. I wouldn't say he's still in love with her, but what she did still totally hurts, and he hasn't moved past the pain yet, and now that she's back, he feels the pain all over again. Hope that clears some of it up! Lol_

**At The Heart Of It All**

_Chapter Sixteen_

Takes You By Surprise

_**BROOKE DAVIS—WILL YOU GO TO PROM WITH ME?**_

The bright, beautiful banner hung across the main entrance to the school, and Brooke stood in front of it, on the verge of tears. This was by the far the sweetest thing anybody had ever done for her. There was no name attached, but she had a pretty good idea of who it was. Especially if the gorgeous blonde boy approaching her was any indication.

"Hey babe," Lucas said, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist, and looking up, taking in the sign. "Wow," he let out a low whistle. "…all that for you? Somebody must think that you're pretty special."

"Wow. He's certainly a romantic. Well, whoever he is, I'll definitely have to say yes to him. Sorry Broody," she teased, looking over her shoulder at him.

"That's okay; I'm pretty set with my date. She's the most beautiful girl in the entire school. She's got these amazing bright green eyes, long, soft, shiny brown hair, and the world's cutest dimples. Oh, and she's in my arms right now. Anyway, yeah, I'm pretty sure we're going together. Especially because she just said she'd have to say yes to me," he said with a large smile stretching across his face, his lips just inches from hers. She beamed at him, closing the distance and meeting him for a sweet kiss, right in the middle of the hallway. It was the perfect positioning to make everybody and anybody jealous, as all the hopeless romantics in their audience _awwwww_-ed and clapped.

As Brooke pulled back, leaned her head on his shoulder, and opened her eyes, still smiling, she thought that nothing could ever bring her down today. That is, until she laid eyes on a dark figure lurking in the corner. Taking in his smug smile, arms crossed across his muscular chest, leaning confidently against the locker, looking at Felix immediately ebbed away at Brooke's elation. He looked her over knowingly, and sent her a wink that shot a cold feeling down her spine. God, what did she get herself into?

------

"So, that was a pretty cool thing you did for Brooke today," Haley began, sliding into the seat opposite Lucas. He was in his Study Hall, and had no idea Haley was even in this class. But that was Haley for you—full of surprises.

"She's worth it," Lucas said simply, shrugging his shoulders. However, it didn't go unnoticed by Haley how he lit up just by the mention of Brooke.

"That's a lot of effort for a relationship that isn't real," she said in hushed tones, testing him. His eyes snapped to hers.

"What?" he asked, clearly on edge.

"You know… how your relationship is for show, so that everybody doesn't think that you're pathetic and moping over those psycho twins…"

Lucas was obviously uncomfortable. "Oh… that… well, then I'm guessing Brooke told you, because that's a little detailed and…"

"Yeah, Brooke told me, you know, in the interest of full friendship disclosure. I think that's really nice of you to help her out."

"Anything for a friend, right?" he countered with a lopsided grin.

"Sure, of course," Haley shrugged.

Lucas smiled up at her and went back to reading his book. He was rereading The Great Gatsby for about the fourteenth time. Luke never could get enough of a really good book. However, his peace was slightly disturbed by Haley's twitching. He hadn't known her for that long, but he could tell that she had something to say.

"Aww Hales, just say it…"

"Okay," she took a deep breath. "I don't think that you guys are faking it anymore."

"What?" he asked. He hadn't seen that one coming.

"You and Brooke. You guys aren't a fake couple anymore, because you've got real feelings for each other. I know that it's a really difficult relationship between the two of you with all this drama, drama, drama, but I just thought that you should know."

"Huh."

"Just… she's a great girl, Luke. Don't let her get hurt again."

--------

It was 4:45, which meant that it was quiet time at the tutoring center. This was Haley's favorite time. She loved helping other people, but something about the calm, trusting environment made her love the center. Haley walked around, humming a little tune to herself. Nobody made her clean up, but she did it anyway. She couldn't stand it when it was a mess when she got there the next day.

Haley had been bending over to pick up a text book that happened to find its way to the floor when she caught sight of a pair of a pair of tan legs that ended in black sandals. Immediately she got up, curious as to who would enter the center at _this _time.

"Hi! Can I he—"Haley began brightly, but trailed off when she saw just who her visitor was.

"Yes, I do need help actually."

"Like that's news," Haley said bitingly, rolling her eyes and going back to organizing the room.

"You're Haley James, correct?"

"That's right Anna. And that's Haley with an L-E-Y, not an N-N-A-H."

"Um… whatever," Anna said, completely missing Haley's point.

"So I seriously doubt that you came here to chat, so would you mind telling me what the hell you want?"

"I need your help."

"What subject?"

"Lucas."

"HA! Not going to happen! I can't even believe you came here to ask me to help you with… I don't even know what you want, I don't care. Eww, not getting in the middle of that."

"Actually," Anna began in a tone that made Haley pause. "I have a feeling that **you** are going to want to hear what I have to say."

--------

The loud slamming of a heavy front door echoed throughout the empty house. It was full of beautiful and expensive objects, worth thousands of dollars, but the bitter teen that entered really could care less about anything but a blonde boy with deep eyes and a huge heart that she had previously broken. The angry girl swept through the house, leaving overturned objects in her wake.

"That bad, huh sis?" a smug voice called from the corner. 'Why the hell did he always lurk in corners? Freak,' she thought, and contemplated voicing it to him, but settled for--

"Shut up Felix!" she growled, frustration burning deep in her dark eyes, and a fierce look upon her face that made her brother backtrack.

"Seriously… how did it go? You know that I have as much invested in this as you do." He said seriously.

"Which I still don't understand. Why are you going after Brooke? Why do you have to ruin this for her too? Haven't you been enough of an ass to her?"

"Brooke and my relationship was more complicated than you know."

"The ending wasn't! You cheated, she left!" Anna spat, beyond fed up with her selfish brother and his ways.

"Right… I'm so selfish, I'm wrong, I don't deserve Brooke. Then remind me again why you should have Lucas? I do believe that I'm not the only one in this room who has fucked up!"

"Funny, both those mistakes are linked back to you!" Anna shouted, a tear running down her cheek at the mention of Lucas.

"Did you crack Haley?" Felix asked, totally changing the subject.

"No. I can't believe you actually sent me to try that. As if she doesn't already think I'm a mega-bitch, and I've known her for about fifteen minutes," Anna said bitterly.

"Well, aren't you?" he joked, but perhaps with a grain of truth.

"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response. But a hint, next time you're going to try to become some evil mastermind, you might want to dig up more dirt than cheating on a stupid math quiz taken a million years ago."

_Yeah, that was kind of short, and I'm sorry, because it probably isn't too great, but my head is everywhere and nowhere, but I didn't want to leave you guys hanging lol. I'm going to try and update really soon, because there's a part that I wanted to include in this chapter but wasn't quite sure how, but I know a good spot for it next chapter. Well, please review and tell me your thoughts on the chapter, where I should take this story, etc. Thanks for reading!_

_Xo Sam _


	18. Only Love Can Break Your Heart

_Oh my God! You guys were sooo cool with your reviews! I was actually like bouncing up and down while reading them (although that **might** have something to do with the 14 packets of Sweetarts that I just consumed… you know, just maybe). Special reviewer gold star to Lindsay! Lol You reviewed like right away, and with one of the most awesome reviews I've ever gotten! I love long reviews._

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill, or the song _Somewhere Only We Know_ by Keane, or the band Keane… that would be pretty weird if I did though, wouldn't it?

**At the Heart of It All**

_Chapter Seventeen_

Only Love Can Break Your Heart

There was an upside to getting along really, really well with your varsity basketball player of a half-brother. He provides you with a best friend that will play your favorite sport with you, something that Lucas had previously been sorely lacking. They had gone for a run that morning; Nathan waking him up at 5:30 A.M, and they had been playing basketball ever since. As it was now 2 P.M., Luke wondered vaguely if they should eat lunch.

"So, you're taking Brooke to the prom?" Nathan began conversationally.

"Um, yeah," Lucas started, scratching his head. "I presume that you heard about the banner…"

"Man, who hasn't heard about the banner!" Nate laughed. "That this is going down in history. By the way, couldn't you have given me a heads-up on that thing?"

"What do you mean?"

"We're brothers, man. Now everybody expects **_me_** to be romantic! Hello, have they never heard of our father? Why would romance run in the family?" Nathan ranted, and both guys laughed.

"Actually, I haven't checked in with you in a while—"Lucas began regretfully.

"That's because you've been too busy with your new girlfriend," Nathan interrupted.

"Who are you taking to the prom?" Luke continued, totally ignoring his younger brother.

"Um… no one."

"No one?" Lucas asked, aghast. Nathan Scott without a date? This was definitely a first. But then he caught the look on the boy's face, and realized that that wasn't the end of the story. "But you've got someone in mind…"

"No, I don't!" Nathan answered quickly.

_Too quickly_

"You do too! Nate, c'mon, tell me who it is! Do I know her?"

"Yeah, you could say that…"

"Man, just tell me. Wait, its not Brooke, is it?" Lucas asked quickly, and Nathan almost laughed when he noticed a little flare up of something that looked suspiciously like panic in his eyes.

"God, no! Not that Brooke isn't gorgeous, but she's sort of dating my brother. Maybe you missed that memo?"

"Ha ha. Seriously, I don't know why you're making such a big deal out of not telling me who you want to ask to prom. If she says yes, I'm going to find out anyway."

"That's the thing man-- I don't think she's going to say yes. I actually don't think that she's that into me… but I can't stop thinking about her."

"Are you like, embarrassed of her?" Lucas asked, confused about the identity of the girl that his brother was so hesitant to reveal.

"NO! You'll just be… surprised…"

"Nate, I haven't known you for very long, but I do know you very well, and I'm pretty sure that nothing you can say is going to surprise me."

"I want to ask out Haley James," Nathan spat out quickly, but a relieved smile crossed his face after he said it. **_Finally_**, he told somebody how he felt.

"I take that back."

--------

"So, what's new with you Tutor Girl?" Brooke asked, plopping into the seat across from Haley in the library, wearing a large grin. That was to be expected, as the brunette hadn't stopped smiling since the day before. The other girl looked up from her book with a knowing smile.

"That was **_so_** code for me to lead into the subject of prom, that way you can gush some more about Luke. So go on, I'm all ears," she said, laying down her book on the table and leaning forward onto her elbows. However, Brooke's smile crumbled into a confused and slightly worried frown. Definitely not the anticipated response.

"What do you mean 'gush some more about Luke'?" Brooke asked with her eyebrows furrowed.

"Oh, nothing. Just, you know, girls like to talk about the guys that they're in love with, especially when they do something as cute as what Luke did for you yesterday, so I just figured that---"

"Whoa! Who said anything about love?"

Haley laughed, but her face fell when she found that she was the only one amused. "Um… well, nobody's said anything, but…"

"Exactly. Nobody's said anything about love. Because we're not in love. Love's just an excuse to get hurt. I don't believe in love. Luke and I aren't even a real couple; we're definitely not in love."

A stricken Haley took the place of the baffled and babbling one that was there before. She had no idea what was wrong with Brooke at the moment, but she'd never seen her more adamant about anything than she was about "not" being in love.

"Um, okay then. Well then, you certainly put on a good show, because I was definitely fooled. Maybe you are too?" Haley asked pointedly, and Brooke looked down bashfully but didn't respond.

"If I were you, I'd take some time to figure out what I really felt. It's not only you that can get hurt this time Tigger. You really need to figure out where your heart is at, because a boy has never cared about a girl more than Luke cares about you… and that's got to count for something."

"I care about him too!" Brooke protested.

"But not in the same way, according to you. Look, Brookie, I love you, you're one of my best friends… but I said it to Lucas, and I'll say it to you: don't hurt him."

"I didn't plan to."

"Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans…" Haley trailed off, her voice laden with sarcasm but laced with sympathy. She picked up her books off the table and left the library without another word to the cheerleading captain with tears in her eyes. The tears were because Brooke realized what she had to do… now the only problem was doing it.

--------

Nathan was long gone, but Lucas remained at the court. It was silent all around, except for the bouncing of the ball on the pavement, and the swishing of the net. Familiar sounds in a familiar place. But the calm, relative quiet was disturbing by music in the distance, growing louder and louder, along with the crunching sounds of tires on loose gravel. The light was fading away, and Luke had no way to confirm this, but he had a feeling that it was Brooke approaching. He could just sense her presence that way lately. However, if it was indeed his "girlfriend" approaching, her musical taste for today was very out of character, as he thought that he could just hear strains of Keane's "Somewhere Only We Know".

_Sat by the river and it made me complete…_

_Oh simple thing, where have you gone?_

He laughed at the irony of the lyrics reaching his ears. Where had the simple relationship between Brooke and Lucas gone? They were the best of friends, almost more like family. They were always each other's support systems. The best friend, the confidant, the one who everyone they dated would always be jealous of because they could never hope to be as close to them. But now _they_ were dating, or at least pretending to be, and the boundaries were becoming less and less clear. Luke was surprised to find that he didn't really care, either. At the beginning, he'd thought that acting like he was dating Brooke was a ridiculous idea, but he was growing into it, and lately… Haley was right. Somewhere along the line, he supposed that they'd stopped pretending. He looked out at the city over the water, and heard the click-clacking of her heels and felt her presence on the court long before she'd spoken.

"I figured you would be hungry…" Brooke began, holding up a take-out bag from Karen's Café.

"How'd you figure?" he asked with a playful smile.

"Well, either you've been ignoring my calls all day, or you've been out here with Nathan since a ridiculously early hour. I'm going with the second one."

"Ahh, brains **_and_** beauty. Is something wrong, babe?" Luke asked with a concerned look on his handsome face, and Brooke felt something tugging at her heart. She let out a sad little smile, and took his hands in hers.

"I—I—Broody, I think we need to break up," she choked out.

"… What?" he asked, unsure that he had heard her correctly. She couldn't mean **_that_**… anything but that. He laughed shakily. "We're not even really going out."

"Yeah, then this shouldn't be hard, right? I just think… um, mission accomplished, right? The Taggaro twins are insane with jealousy; our social status is back on top…"

"Is that all this was to you, Brooke?" he asked, hurt shining in his eyes.

"That's all it was, period, Luke," she said, looking everywhere but at him.

"Why now?"

"I think…I think maybe we're both getting too attached."

He didn't respond, but gently detached his hands from hers. Brooke was shocked by how deeply the gesture stung her. She cupped his cheek in her hand, leaned forward and kissed him deeply. Minutes later, Luke pulled back smoothly and she whimpered slightly at the loss of contact before remembering where she was and what was going on. Pulling herself together, Brooke took a few steps back, and looked at him. To her dismay, she found that he wasn't wearing the compassionate look he had been wearing once he realized something was wrong, or even the hurt look she had seen after Anna left. In its place was the horrible mask of stone, the ice in his eyes, the invisible walls forming around him… and there she was, powerless to stop them, having caused them in the first place.

Brooke backed away slowly, tears forming behind her eyes as she looked into his cold blue ones.

"I'm sorry Lucas… this is just the way it has to be," her voice shook as she tried to fight down the large lump in her throat. She got no response from him though, and turned on her heel, her shoes click-clacking on the pavement as she ran off the court to the safety of her VW Bug. She sat behind the steering wheel and cried her eyes out; sobbing over the loss of something she didn't know what there in the first place. However, he didn't cry. Lucas sat exactly where Brooke had left him, crystal blue eyes reflecting the bright lights of the city across the river, feeling a heartbroken, numbing, emptiness that he was becoming more and more familiar with, as he caught a little more of the fading song…

_This could be the end of everything…_

_-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_.:shields self from thrown tomatoes:. Ahh! I'm sorry! Lol, but we all knew that it wasn't going to be all rainbows and butterflies, didn't we? You all just got a taste of Brooke Davis, commitment-phobe. What do you think? Lol this chapter was **really** hard to write up (writer's block forming, I think), and reviews would be super-appreciated, even if only to tell me that it sucked. Thanks for reading!_

_Xo Sam_


	19. The Blurring Lines Of Loss

_So yeah, I know, I haven't updated in forever. I totally suck. Lol. Thanks for all of your reviews guys! I was going to try and update before, but this week's been pretty damn crazy… lots of parties, a family reunion, and a few days in the country … but I've got a few free hours today, and you guys and this story are number one now! Lol. Anyway, most of you gave me nice long reviews, which are totally awesome. Haha, Only Love Can Break Your Heart was clearly nobody's favorite chapter, but I didn't get any hate mail for it, which is always nice lol. _

_So now I've got some semi-spoilers for you guys. They might be occurring in this chapter, or the upcoming ones, but just to give you a taste of what you're in store for, because everybody seems to love guessing, and I love hearing your predictions! Lol_

_-we haven't seen the end of Jaley_

_-Brooke and Peyton… best friends for **never **(so everybody holding out hope for a possible friendship… yeah, not in this story lol) _

_-Felix's actions always come back to bite Brooke in the ass_

Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing. Not the characters, not the setting, and hell, somebody's probably already thought of the plot too. Also, I think I took a line from a book I read for the fifth section. So yeah, I don't own the dialogue either. Heh, sucks for me.

**At the Heart of It All**

_Chapter Eighteen_

The Blurring Lines Of Loss

"I did the right thing," Brooke explained, tears pooling in her eyes, the reflection of the latest sad movie shining off her green irises. She spoke confidently, like a person giving an often-rehearsed speech. Actually, Haley thought, it _was_ a much rehearsed speech, seeing as she had heard it thirty-six times in the hour and a half she had been there. "Don't you think?"

"No," Haley said hesitantly. Harsh? Yes, and Haley knew it, but there's only so much wallowing-in-self-pity a girl can do.

_Especially when it's not her own pity._

"What?" the usually-cheerful girl exclaimed, her eyes widening.

"No, I don't think you did the right thing…" Haley started, and continued off Brooke's baffled look. "I mean, I know that you think you did the right thing for you, but you're wrong. You can't live without Luke! Tigger, you know I love you, but you're currently a mess, and whether you admit it or not, it's killing you to not be with Lucas whatever way you can."

"Tutor girl! You're the one who told me to break things off in the first place!"

"Don't blame this on me! I did **not** tell you to stomp on your relationship with your best friend and the guy that you're secretly in love with, I told you to figure out what you're feeling that way you don't clobber everybody!"

"Perhaps I called the wrong friend for comfort?"

"Well, I'm the best one you've got, seeing as you just br-broke up with the other one," Haley said, her tone sardonic but a little shaky, as the sad movie was taking its toll on her too.

"We weren't really going out," Brooke said slowly, ignoring her friend's sarcasm. She studied her red nails, tangling themselves slowly in the fringe off the soft pillows. Red. Brooke had decided she needed a change after her latest … heartbreak? And so kick-ass red nail polish seemed to be the way to go as opposed to her usual classic French manicures. Funny… she didn't feel much better.

"That doesn't mean that you didn't really feel anything."

"I really can't talk about this right now. It's… its too hard… it's too soon. Let's just… let's just talk about something else," Brooke managed to choke out, forcing a watery imitation of her usual perky smile. Haley opened her mouth to object, but her friend ploughed on. "Who are you going to prom with?"

At this, Haley's face crumbled. "Nobody…"

"What? Not Nathan Scott!"

"No! He… um… he didn't ask me," Haley grappled with her words. Easy to pronounce, difficult to say.

"WHAT! But, you two were totally hot for each other…" Brooke sputtered, a little helplessly. If Nathan and Haley weren't a sure thing after the past few weeks, then what was?

"Please. He's 'Nathan Scott', and I'm just Haley James, tutor, nothing more. But really, it doesn't bother me. I don't even want to go to the prom," Haley lied unconvincingly.

"That's not true, Tutor Girl. Well, the you being a tutor part is, but you aren't **_just_** anything. You're an amazing person Haley, even if I'm here devastated and you're unsupportive. And it sucks for Nathan if he's dumb enough to miss out."

"Hum… you know what? I think that we're both getting our hearts stepped on too much lately. There aren't any more sad movies for us to watch, and we're both getting way too damn good at these 'cheer up' speeches!" Haley laughed, and Brooke tossed the pillow at her.

"Actually, you know, you're right!"

"Big shock!"

Brooke continued, ignoring her. "I'm going to talk to Lucas. I'm going to talk to him, and settle this, because we're best friends, and this is _ridiculous_. I'm going to talk to him--- first thing **tomorrow**!"

"Speaking of ridiculous."

--------

Click. Clack. Click. Clack.

Brooke loved being the only one walking down the hallway at any certain moment. The echoing sound of her designer shoes on the tacky speckled floors made her feel powerful. And power was something she was definitely in need of today. She had spent the weekend in the company of Haley, chick flicks, and her tried and true buddy—ice cream—and she had realized that she could try and fill the void whatever way she could, but she was incomplete without Lucas. They had always been best friends, and they always would be.

_Okay Brooke… just say it a few more times, and maybe you'll start to believe it..._

Speaking of Haley, Brooke desperately needed to talk to her again. Making her way down the deserted hall, the cheerleader found herself at the tutoring center. She nearly bounded in but then she discovered that Haley wasn't in there alone.

Looking in through the glass, Brooke took the time to really look at her friend. She had always seen Haley, and she had thought she was kind of pretty even before they were friends. Now she realized that the other girl was beautiful, just as attractive as any of the other girls in the school, but she always saw a kind, caring, patient air about her. Maybe that was what drew all these varsity players to her, Brooke mused and laughed quietly to herself. Gazing upon Haley, who seemed to shine with an inner light as a light smile graced her face, she wondered how Nathan could possibly pass her up. Well, sucks for him, Brooke thought as she saw Jake Jagelski blush and stick his hands in his pockets.

Her jaw dropped slightly. Brooke had always been able to lip-read. Not great at it, but sometimes she could figure out what people were saying. She found herself especially grateful that now seemed to be some of those times, as she couldn't hear a thing through the glass and stone that made up the walls of Tree Hill High's tutoring center. Brooke Davis was absolutely floored when she read Haley's lips, saw Jake beam and Haley giggle as he picked her up and swung her around.

_Okay, I'll go to prom with you_.

--------

"HALEY WHATEVER YOUR MIDDLE NAME IS JAMES!"

"Brooke Elise Davis!" Haley responded playfully, in a perpetual good mood after finding a date to the biggest social event of the year. Brooke smiled sadly at the use of her "middle name". Of course, Elise wasn't **_actually_** her middle name, but nobody knew that. Nobody except Lucas… "Hello? Brooke? Anybody home?"

"Wha—oh yeah! Why didn't you tell me you still had something going on with Jake Jagelski!" Brooke snapped back to reality, her slight-rage returning. How the hell could Haley even consider _speaking_ to him after what he did to her?

"Because I didn't know that there was 'something going on'!" Haley exclaimed, tossing her hands in the air. "He totally sprung this on me. I had no idea he even still thought about me after… you know… Peyton. I mean, she's some tall, cool, blonde 'It' girl, so I figured that he wouldn't let her get away but—"

"Tutor girl! I do **not** want to hear the praises of Peyton Sawyer. I just thought you liked Nathan."

"I do like Nathan! But Nathan is Nathan, and he didn't ask me. I was afraid that no one was going to ask me, and I know that that's shallow and stupid, but you don't know what its like! And then Jake asked me, and I guess I like him too."

"Well… as long as you're happy, I guess," Brooke mumbled, staring down at her hands. She nervously twisted her ruby ring round and round her little finger, hoping Haley wasn't mad at her. It was kind of a ridiculous outburst.

"Thanks Tigger. Now, have you talked to Lucas yet?" Haley prompted, and Brooke groaned.

"Um… not yet," she drawled, wanting to prolong the experience for as long as possible. It could only hurt.

"Well, what are you still doing here? Go get 'em tiger!"

"I thought I was Tigger!"

"Brooke... go!" Haley laughed and swatted at her friend as she walked by. Brooke tossed a look at her friend over her shoulder, but Haley wasn't looking back at her anymore. She laughed a little as she saw the tutor making her way across the room, cleaning up but smiling and humming gently to herself. Perhaps there was more to her prom date than meets the eye…

--------

"Oh to be that gloss and slide upon those lips. Haha, man, Shakespeare ain't got nothing on Felix," an arrogant voice hung in the air as a man wearing a matching grin leaned against the locker beside hers.

"I wish you were dead too," Brooke said, without taking her eyes off her reflection in the mirror. Smacking her lips and adjusting the straps on her top, Brooke broke eye contact with herself and made it with Felix. He still wore that stupid, arrogant smirk and she had never wanted more to smack it off. "Can I help you with something?" she asked through gritted teeth, bending over to pick up her backpack. Brooke made a noise of disgust as she noticed Felix checking her out. "What the hell do you want Pool Boy?"

"Aww, old pet names. Aren't we sentimental?"

"Fuck off Felix," she said slowly and clearly, and he looked as if she had just smacked him across the face. "Don't look so surprised. I'm not your bitch anymore. You can't just come around and do whatever you want. Now get the hell away from me and my locker, because you most definitely don't come in peace."

"Ouch. Actually, I have a question for you," he said, the indignancy of the moment before totally forgotten. Brooke raised an eyebrow at him, her interest piqued. "Will you go to prom with me?"

She burst out laughing before realizing that he was, indeed, serious. "Um, Felix… maybe you missed the memo, but Lucas asked me to go to prom with him. I know you saw the banner, seeing as you were lurking in the shadows in your usual creepy, stalker-esque way."

"Didn't you get the memo, gorgeous? I figured you were in need of a date, because Lucas Scott's got a new girl," Felix smirked, his eyes lighting up maliciously.

Again, Brooke was floored. The world crashed around her, time came to a stop, her heart ceased beating, a lump rose in her throat, and tears formed behind her eyes. For a split second, she thought she saw sympathy. Then she realized that it was only a perverse amusement, masked by a guy who just wanted to 'get some'. Disgust attempted to edge its way into her body, but she was too overwhelmed by her other feelings to make any room for it.

"Who?" she managed to choke out. She would **not** let him see her cry! I mean, who the hell did he think she was? She wasn't pathetic, she wasn't weepy, she wasn't heartbroken or love struck. She never was, she never would be. She was Brooke freaking Davis, and nobody saw her weaknesses. However, like most dogs, Felix seemed to sense her fear of the answer, and reveled in it.

"Peyton Sawyer."

--------

_EEK! You're probably all going to totally hate me for that one, but don't worry, I've got a few more tricks up my sleeve. I'm **so** sorry I kept you guys waiting for so long, but you know, life gets crazy and I really care about this story, and there were so many directions I could take it from there so I really needed to think it out. Ahh, that's enough babbling from me, seeing as most of you probably don't care lol. Please review! Thanks for reading! _


	20. And It's Not What It Seems

_Hey everybody!_

_To **care44**, for being the first reviewer for last chapter, and relieving my strong fears that everybody in the entire universe would hate me for it. Lol okay, so that's an exaggeration, but I'm still very grateful to all my reviewers. Of course, a special shoutout goes to **Maggie**, who is quickly becoming, in my opinion at least, my friend lol. Hahah I totally agree with you **alarma1**! But even if it weren't the usual thing to do, Felix will always be the jerk in my stories… because he'll always be a jerk in my heart! Lol I've actually hated him since-- actually, that's a long story that nobody wants to hear lol._

_There are a few things I need to tweak out in the story, and I'm probably going to do so judging by your reviews lol. I'm sorry I haven't been updating that frequently, but life gets in the way, you know? Haha. Anyway, this chapter is rather short, but it's totally crucial to the rest of the story. So here's an update to tide you all over while I attempt to iron out the kinks in this story. Any and all feedback is totally appreciated!_

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of One Tree Hill, I just play with them… much like Kathryn Merteuil has to anyone she's ever met. Only in a nicer way—I hope.

**At the Heart of It All**

_Chapter Nineteen_

And It's Not What It Seems…

"So I hear that your play for Brooke was a miserable failure," Anna mocked from the doorway. Felix said nothing but glared at her through the spotless mirror where he had been previously admiring himself. His sister rolled her eyes, knowing full well that there had never been a more self-centered man than Felix Taggaro.

"Wanna talk about it?" she asked with her voice full of false commiseration.

"Not really!" Felix responded bitingly. "Wanna go away?"

"Not really," Anna said simply, sauntering across his room and plopping herself down onto his large bed. She stretched out and groaned. She could mock the Taggaro riches all she wanted, but there was definitely something to be said about high thread count sheets. Writhing about on the sheets that felt soft as silk underneath her, she was surprised that she didn't just melt into the bed. After a few minutes, she became settled and looked towards her slightly-older brother. He was usually really open with her, so she was shocked that he hadn't come clean yet. However, the expression on his face told her that he was still reflecting on today's failures. Now she wasn't so surprised. Anna had heard there was a lot of failure to be reflected upon…

_"Peyton Sawyer," Felix had drawled, satisfaction resting in every syllable. Peyton knew what he was trying to play at. He had told her as much during Study Hall. But she was, like he said, Peyton Sawyer, and she didn't take orders from **anybody**, especially not Felix Taggaro, and she certainly wasn't interested in becoming his partner in crime, even if it meant Lucas would be free for the taking. Just taking him would be much more fun anyway. In the meantime, she'd just pretend she had no clue what the hell he was talking about. _

_"What?" the blonde snapped, looking up from her locker, down the deserted hallway towards Brooke and Felix. Her perfect curls tumbled down her back and her heavily outlined hazel eyes were narrowed at them. Brooke had never hated Peyton Sawyer more than at that moment._

_"Well, Brooke's just inquiring into Lucas's new prom date. I thought you could help us out…" Felix began smoothly. He expected a smirk to light up her face, but Peyton's glare only intensified._

_"Cut the bullshit Felix. Everybody knows that Lucas doesn't have a new prom date," Peyton hissed, more than a little bitter. Brooke felt a wave of relief like nothing she had ever experienced wash over her. She actually found herself tossing Peyton a grateful glance, but quickly cut herself off--- **what** was she doing!_

_Felix made a noise to try and cover up his mistake. He had assumed that Peyton would play along, if only to see Brooke get mad. She and Peyton had **never** been on the best of terms. However, it appeared that the blonde's loathing of him outweighed her hatred of Brooke, and Felix was a fish of out water, fumbling for a smooth recovery to his fumble. Too late, he realized, when he saw Brooke glaring at him as if he was something she had scraped off the bottom of her heels. _

_"Never speak to me again." _

_"Brooke—"_

_"And by never I meant not again, not in this lifetime, not today, not any other day, not this year, this week, this decade and most certainly not right now!"_

_"Brookie, I can explain…"_

_"Don't need an explanation! That would qualify as speaking."_

_"I just figured that Lucas had a new prom date because he's been hooking up with everything with a pulse lately, and figured you'd need a friend."_

_"I have needed a friend lately. But you will never, **ever** fall into that category," Brooke whispered meaningfully, a painful mixture of hurt and anger shining in her green eyes and she backed away from him before turning away, click-clacking down the hall and never looking back. _

_"Hah. That sucks for you."_

_He had forgotten she was still there, but now she was leaned against the lockers with humor lighting up her pale face. Shifting, her miniskirt rode up a little. Suddenly she was looking very attractive to him…_

_"Not gonna happen," Peyton spat bitingly, chucking and walking away, leaving Felix alone in darkening hallway of Tree Hill High._

"You really messed that plan up," Anna said softly. "But you didn't really expect it to work, did you?"

"Do you have any better ideas!" Felix spat, whirling around from the pristine mirror to fully glare at his twin.

"Yes!" Anna stood up to her brother, both figuratively and literally as she tipped her head up to look him square in the eye. "I'm going to be Lucas's friend."

"That's brilliant!" Felix mocked. "Why hasn't anybody ever thought of that before?"

"Well, it's different with me and Lucas, Felix! He's in love with me. He still loves me… I know he does..." she trailed off, furrowing her eyebrows as she tried to convince both him and herself. Felix took advantage of her moment of confusion, whirling her around and steering her towards the door.

"Well, knowledge is power. Have fun with that sis!" he smiled, a wide fake smile, before shutting the door in her face. He sighed in exasperation as he leaned against it, banging his head a few times.

_Being evil takes a lot out of you._

The minutes slowly ticked by, and before he knew it, Felix found that it was 2:30 in the morning and he was still up thinking about Brooke. It wasn't an unusual ailment for him, not at all. But this time it was different. He wasn't thinking about the sexy, seductive Brooke he fantasized about constantly. He was thinking about the warm, caring Brooke he had never really gotten to know. The side he had only ever heard from her when she was on the phone with her best friend. But not just her personality… he thought of her lips when she smiled, of her eyes when she laughed, and that excited clap thing he had always found so endearingly stupid. At 2:30 that morning, Felix Taggaro had an epiphany. He found himself completely and totally in love with Brooke Davis.

_Too little, too late, don't cha think? _

But as he rolled over in bed, he found his mind going through an almost flip-book of memories of the head cheerleader he had forsaken for so long. From her laughs to her tears to her stories to her jokes to the look of absolute disgust on her face as she told him to stay away from her. A look that would launch a thousand of his nightmares, starting with that night.

--------

_Eek! What do you guys think? I'm dying to know! Lol. Again, sorry for the length, but I think that I already babbled enough about that among other things at the beginning. Anyhoo...Thanks for reading!_

Xo Sam


	21. So This Is Odd

Hey guys! Thanks for reviewing! Seriously, I was biting my nails waiting to see how you all would react to that one. Lol. Anyway, they inspired to me to sit down and crank out this chapter, but first, I must say a few things. **Merf425**- I actually was thinking about that! Hahah… but its not going to happen, because I just read a story where that whole family dies in a car crash, so I was like "Well, there that one goes…" **Lindsay**- YAY! WELCOME HOME! Hope you had a good time. **Ali**- .:gasp:. You _do_? Hehe good! **Maggie**- thanks for your concern, and of course the e-mails. I've definitely got more in store for you guys…

Also, I'd like to send up a prayer for everyone touched by the London tragedies. I know how hard it was for me after 9/11, and my thoughts are with you all. God bless.

One more thing! There is a brandy new One Tree Hill fanfiction site out that I just registered to, and I think it has the potential to be really awesome. So everybody check it out, post your stories, you know…

http/chadmichaelmurray. La la la I don't own any of this la la.

**At the Heart of It All**

_Chapter Twenty_

So This Is Odd…

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Knock. Knock. Knock.

Her heart was pounding so loudly that she could barely hear herself knocking on his bedroom door, but she could feel on her knuckles that they were wrapping against the solid wood. She felt ridiculous. How many times had she done this same thing? It was simply knocking on his door. And yet her nervousness outweighed her other emotions, and she waited with baited breath. Her heart both soared and sank as she heard familiar laughter from the inside. Two different laughs and she knew them both so well.

The door swung open, and her best friend answered, wearing a large smile. It faded a little bit as he saw her, and she thought that her heart had been smashed into pieces.

"Hey Brooke."

"Hey Broody."

"Um… what brings you around?" Lucas asked, very curious. He shifted slightly uncomfortably.

"It's movie night!" Brooke said, her voice typically cheery but had a hint of 'duhhh' to it. Gazing at his awkward expression, she sighed. "Don't tell me you forgot about movie night! Luke, we've been doing movie night since we were like five!"

"No, no, I didn't forget about movie night. I just didn't think you'd come tonight. Well, I kind of already have somebody here, but we're just hanging out if you want to join us…?"

"Who else is here?" Brooke asked with just a little bit of suspicion in her voice, but she already knew the answer. The laughter that had cut right through her could only belong to one person. And God, did she ever hate that person.

"Oh, hey Brooke! I didn't hear you knock!" Anna chirped, appearing from Lucas's bathroom.

"_Anna_… how lovely to see you again," the head cheerleader said through gritted teeth.

"Likewise," Anna nodded. "I always meant to ask you how you were holding up. Luke told me that you guys broke up," she tilted her head towards Lucas, who shifted again. "I mean, that's two **horrible** break ups for you… and so close together."

"Well, I got over Felix **_really_** quickly. And Luke and I will _always_ be friends, won't we Broody?" Brooke said with a smile, placing a hand on Lucas's bicep, knowing that her words struck an acidic chord in Anna—and she was very happy about that.

--------

"Luke, you here?" Nathan called into the room as he knocked once and opened the door to his half-brother's bedroom. Once again, he had a problem, and there was never anybody better to talk things out with than Lucas… at least, not in Nathan's opinion.

"Yeah… hey Nate," Lucas called from the couch. Nathan turned his head over that way, and bit down **hard **on his lip to try and stop himself from laughing. His body shook a little in silent mirth as he took in the sight of his brother in the middle of Brooke and Anna, half a foot of space between each person, all sitting in silence.

"Well, if this is a bad time, I can come back—,"he offered with a smirk.

"NO!" Lucas practically shouted, rising from his seat. "Now is a good time! Now is fine. We'll be right back," he tossed over his shoulder while virtually steering Nathan into the living room. Finally, the brown-haired brother couldn't take it anymore and let out a good long chuckle.

"_What _was that?"

"In a word—uncomfortable."

"Not that it doesn't make you a lucky guy, but _how did that happen_!"

"Man, I don't even know. I was just hanging out at the River court, when Anna showed up. So we played HOG, and ended up talking and laughing… and we came back here to hang out. And then Brooke showed up."

"I thought you two were avoiding each other?"

"So did I… but she was just _here_. And I was surprised to see her, but I'm glad that she came. I've been missing her," Lucas admitted, looking everywhere but at Lucas.

"Believe me, I know. You just aren't the same without her."

"Yeah," Luke nodded in agreement.

"But how do you feel about Anna coming back? I mean, I know that we were at each other's throats during that whole period, but you were a mess, no offense…but everybody's heard the stories…"

"And you want the truth?" Lucas turned slightly to meet Nathan's eyes.

"Sure, that'd be nice," Nate joked, making himself at home on the couch.

"Well… it's really complicated…" he began clumsily. His brother nodded in understanding.

"And since we don't have that much time due to the two volatile girls in your bedroom, I'll take the Cliffs' notes version and you can save the real stuff for a basketball day."

"Alright. Short version? We met on accident, dated, fell in love, and it was amazing. I'd never felt that way about anybody else. I really thought I could've spent the rest of my life with her, and that was a really scary thought. But I stuck with it. Anyway, Felix and Brooke were already 'dating' at this time, and he really wasn't happy that I was closer to Brooke than he was ever going to be, I guess. So he filled Anna's head with some bull stories about me, and she fell for it, hook, line and sinker. Guess we were never as close as I thought. She broke things off with me, and left town later that week."

"And now she's back," Nate marveled, wondering where this girl got the courage to show up in Tree Hill again, never mind on Lucas Scott's doorstep. That family had some **serious** issues.

"And now she's back," Lucas confirmed softly.

Nathan opened his mouth, trying to think of something to say to erase the wounded look on his brother's face. It wasn't a look he was used to, and the blond was so much better at giving out advice. But the sentimental moment was shattered by Brooke's voice. She was definitely yelling, but neither could distinguish exactly what she was saying. Nathan finished by voicing both of their thoughts.

"That can't be good."

--------

They opened the door hesitantly, unsure of what damage they would find on the other side. To their immense relief, the brothers found that there was no physical damage done, no blood on any surfaces, and no obvious bruising. All they found were two girls with flushed faces and blazing eyes.

"Erm… hi guys," Brooke offered.

"Hey," Nathan said quietly.

"Did we hear yelling?" Lucas asked knowingly.

"No!" Anna said hurriedly. Brooke gave her a barely perceptible eyebrow raise, as Lucas rolled his eyes. More lies… but what else did he expect? He looked to Brooke to tell him the truth, but she met his eyes defiantly. Yes, he realized… they definitely needed to have a talk.

Minutes crawled by in silence as they all looked for something, _anything, _to alleviate the tension. Brooke, Nathan and Lucas let out a collective sigh of relief as they heard knocking on the door. The brunette nearly launched herself at the door to answer it first, but Lucas beat her there. Swinging it open, he came face to face with Haley James. Nathan's smile slid slowly off his face.

"Hey Luke. Um, is Brooke here? I went by her house, and Rosa said that she went to come see you, and—"

"She's right here, Hales," Lucas cut her off, sparing them all from her rant.

"Good to know that the help is helpful," Brooke tossed off with a grin. Haley smiled back before finally becoming aware of the other people in the room. Openly confused, Haley raised her eyebrows at Brooke, who shrugs. Haley looked to Nathan, who promptly looked away, and she frowned. They continued to stand there in silence, no one knowing exactly what to say to take away the awkward silence. Of course, it was Haley who found the words.

"So this is kinda weird, huh?"

--------

_Humm… what do you guys think? Yeah, it was brought to my attention that Brooke and Lucas hadn't been in the same chapter in like three updates, so I definitely had to fix that... Lol. I'm sorry about the length, I'm just so busy lately that I'm trying to get updates for you guys when I can, but time is an issue lol. So anyway, please please please review, because I apparently need all the help I can get lol. Thanks for reading!_

_Xo Sam_


	22. Private Conversations

HEY GUYS! Well, I'm back after a sort of hiatus that you guys probably hate me for lol. Anyway, I was down the shore for a week and a half, and was without computer access, which was pretty damn irritating. Then, the day after I got home, I left at **4:45 in the morning** for a trip to Quebec with my French class. And, as all who have ever left the country with a bunch of people your age, spent a few nights in a hotel and had little supervision know, you spent the next few days dealing with the drama. Then my parentals whisked the family away to Boston for a few days. No comment. But now, I'm back! I'm beyond motivated right now, because I just got a very interesting e-mail… turns out that this story has just been nominated for the Sexy Vixen Awards! So now, instead of jumping around the room and squealing as loudly and excitedly as I can, I'm going to try and focus this energy into this story, where I think we all agree that it belongs lol. So one big huge enormous massive thank you goes to **Lindsay** for the nomination. You really have no idea how much it means to me. The place where I first heard about the awards was in the author's notes for A Woman's Worth, and I do **not **consider my story on par with Jess's… anyway, I'll just say a huge thank you, and move on. Lol. Thank you all for sticking with this story!

Disclaimer: I own nothing… although when I was in Canada, I bought these totally awesome slippers with giant moose heads on the front of them, even though my bestest friend told me not to. What can I say? They're _cute_!

This chapter is dedicated to Lindsay, who I've already given a reviewer gold star to, and I can't think up that many more prizes, so I hope that she'll be happy with a chapter or two…

And to Liz. Happy Birthday! Everybody should thank her if you like this story, because she's the one who sent me the message to get my ass back to working on this story! Lol Happy Birthday Liz!

**At the Heart of It All**

_Chapter Twenty Two_

Private Conversations

"Johnny Depp?"

"Totally gorgeous… but too old."

"Conor Oberst?"

"Isn't he that guy from that band? Yeah… little too depressing. They don't call me Cheery for nothing."

"Owen Wilson?"

"He looks a little too much like Ellen DeGeneres. That'd be majorly creepy."

"Ryan Phillippe?"

"YES!"

"He's not too old?"

"Oh, hell no! Ryan Phillippe is so hot that he's just timeless. Cruel Intentions, anybody?"

Electric green eyes met warm brown ones in a moment of serious silence. The stare down was over soon as both girls were overcome with giggles.

"Hahahah… yeah, I'd do him too," Haley conceded with a nod from her place on Brooke's bed. Brooke smiled up at her from her place on the floor, propping herself back up on her elbow and waiting for the next guy. This had been the routine for the last two hours. When the girls first arrived back at Brooke's, having just escaped the awkwardness of Lucas's, they were bored out of their minds. They now found themselves in an intense game of "Who Would You Do? Celebrity Style".

"Okay, hold on… are we ever going to talk about what happened at Luke's?" Brooke asked, her eyes squinted in question.

"Besides a whole lot of awkwardness?"

"Yeah, besides that," Brooke said, waving her hand impatiently as if to wave away the question itself.

"Umm… well, there was Anna…" Haley said slowly, fumbling for whatever Brooke's topic was.

"Besides her!" Brooke nearly shouted, her eyes blazing.

_Touchy, touchy._

"Well what else was there?" Haley demanded, fed up with their game.

"There was Nathan giving you the 'I want you, but I hate you' look!"

"The _what?_" Haley asked incredulously.

"Oh, come on! You totally saw it! He's mad pissed at you!"

"Did you just use 'mad' in the same context as 'really' or 'very'?"

"Yeah. I heard some skaters at the park using it. Thought I'd try it out," Brooke shrugged.

"Yeah? How did it feel?"

"Kind of strange. I think I'll revert back to really and very."

"Cool. I was actually watching this movie called 'Heathers', and they use very instead of cool. They say really awesome things are really very," Haley explained.

"Huh? That's pretty cool. Maybe we should try to bring that back," mused Brooke.

"Maybe," Haley nodded.

"Yeah…wait! Anyway… Nathan was giving you the evil look!"

"Trust me, I noticed," Haley grimaced.

"Tigger!"

"What!"

"Okay, let's go over this slowly, in terms that you 'smart girls' can understand…"

The tutor opened her mouth to protest. Then she thought better of it. Once Brooke had an idea, it was best to just let her run with it, she though as she settled back on the bed for what was sure to be an interesting lecture.

------------

"Man, what was _with _you today?" Lucas Scott asked his half-brother as he let the ball fly from behind the three-point line.

_Score_.

"What are you talking about?" Nathan asked, feigning innocence as he went in for a lay-up.

The guys had been down at the River Court ever since the girls had made their hasty exit from the blonde boy's house, nearly three hours ago. They hadn't done much talking, but they rarely did when basketball was involved. But now, Luke decided that enough was enough.

"You. Were being weird," he started, and continued upon Nathan's prompting look. "… to Haley…"

"Oh. Yeah. Her," he shrugged nonchalantly.

"Yeah, her. What's going on with you, Nate?" Lucas asked, frowning in concern.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing is going on between Haley and me," Nathan stated adamantly.

"Why do you sound so pissed about that?"

"Because I **_like _**her. I like her a lot. And she's going with Jagelski."

"Haley's going to prom with Jake?" Lucas exclaimed, and Nathan just nodded. "Why didn't I know that?"

"Maybe because you alienated your best friend," Nathan jested, but realized upon the look on his brother's face that this wasn't a matter to joke about.

"I know… man; I really screwed things up with Brooke. I don't even know how this happened…"

"You dated. You broke up. Lucas, I hate to be the one to say this, because I know how much Brooke means to you, but make out kids never have the chance to be best friends."

Luke didn't bother telling him that he knew the song that those words of wisdom came from. He just pondered the truth behind them.

------------

"How did your afternoon with Lucas go?" a voice inquired from the doorway. She didn't bother to try around and look to see who it was. After all these years of being his twin sister, Anna didn't really need to check and see if it was Felix. She just knew.

"Well, I found him easily enough. At first it was really fun," Anna began tiredly, but a dreamy look entered her eyes. "It was amazing. We were just hanging out, like we used to. He's so awesome, and understanding, and caring, and funny, and smart, and—"

"And then what happened?" Felix bit out.

"And then we were hanging out at his house—"

"Oh God, did you have sex?"

"Pshh… no. I wish. Something much worse happened," she continued, and her features grew dark.

"I don't know, that seems like worst-case-scenario to me," he quipped.

"Brooke showed up."

"Ooh," Felix visibly winced at this.

"At then so did Nathan. And Haley…" Anna continued.

"So I guess that blew your romantic expectations, huh?"

"Yeah, you could say that. God, I hate that girl," seethed Anna.

"Which one?" he inquired curiously.

"BROOKE!" she exploded. "She's _such_ a slut. She's a supreme bitch. And yet everything comes so easily to her!"

Felix said nothing, but frowned slightly at his sister's behavior. It took a lot to get Anna angry, and right now, she looked about ready to blow. Lately, Anna had her brother really concerned. Ever since she came home to Tree Hill, ever since she first glimpsed Lucas again, she had seemed slightly… unhinged. Felix didn't usually care about his partners in crime, but this was his sister, and believe it or not, he actually did feel some affection for another person besides himself. Coming back to the conversation, he realized that her dark eyes were full of fire and hatred, and her hands were shaking and clenched into a fist as she finished her rant.

"—and she broke up with him too, but **_they_** can be friends? What the hell is with that?"

"An, are you feeling okay?" he asked, sincerely concerned.

"What? Yeah I'm fine. You know, I'm going to go rest for a bit, actually. Thanks for listening Felix. You're the best," she sighed, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek and walking out of the room.

------------

He took a deep breath as he knocked on her door. It was ten o'clock, and the sun had set long ago, bathing the small town in moonlight. Lucas dimly noted that he had never been this nervous going to see the girl behind the red door. The door in question swung open, revealing a breathless brunette.

"Hello? Oh, hey Broody!" she beamed. "What brings you here?"

"Just thought I'd stop by to see my best friend," he smiled softly.

And in that moment, a quiet moment between the teens who had known each other forever, with a sudden rising of emotion, both realized that something more could happen between them. They could **_be_** something more. But neither would act on it now, and destroy the fragile moment. They'd enjoy this time as a last, uncomplicated moment between best friends, because after this, they could never go back.

------------

_Oh my God, you guys have no idea how self-conscience this chapter has made me. I don't know… maybe I just need to get back into the groove of this story. But anyway, it was just really important for me to update, because I love this story, and I love everyone who reads it, and my stupid hiatus wasn't fair to either lol. I just hope that it didn't totally suck. So please review and let me know what you think! Comments and suggestions are always appreciated! Lol. Thanks for reading!_

_Xo Sam_


	23. Again I've Written Tragedy

Haha, with one chapter and a few hours, you guys made me remember why I love posting so much! Holy crap, I can't believe that this story is on chapter 23. This has been so much fun. This was my first real, full-length story, and it was my first AU story. It's like my baby! Lol. Wow, I sound like its ending. **NOTE: THIS IS NOT OVER. THERE WILL BE MORE CHAPTERS.** 'Kay? Lol I just wanted to clear that up, because I don't really like the ".:gasp:. Stupid bitch don't you dare end this story!" e-mails. Actually, I kind of do because they _really_ amuse me. But never mind that. **_At the Heart of It All_** has a long way to go. That was the bottom line lol. I'm glad that you guys liked the first part with Brooke and Haley last chapter. I was trying to demonstrate how close and easy their friendship had become, so I was looking to some of my bestest friends for inspiration, and the "Who Would You Do?" game is one that we always seem to find ourselves playing lol. You might notice that I put some of my interests into the story (like Ryan Phillippe….:swoons:.) **Care44**- thank you! You're so sweet. Sorry that I kept you guys waiting so long lol. **Maggie**- hahah yeah, you probably thought that I like _died_, I never go that long without spitting out random e-mails. **Lindsay- **I LOVE that you like my story so much. Don't worry about it—I don't like being left alone lol. And yeah, I'm making it a habit to mention people who review first in my author's notes at the start of each chapter lol.

And for the record, the song that I referenced in Lucas and Nathan's talk last chapter was Make Out Kids by Motion City Soundtrack. I don't own them. Which sucks for me. Lol. So yeah, if you don't know that song, you should definitely download it, because it's awesome.

Note: This chapter **will** suck. You **will** all hate it. It **is** necessary. Please don't send death threats. Thank you.

Disclaimer: I own none of this. But that was probably kind of obvious. And I don't own Legally Blonde. Actually, I do have the DVD, but that's not what I meant. And I don't hate Reese Witherspoon, either. I _am_ a little jealous, but isn't everyone?

This chapter is _still _for Liz, because her birthday is the 14th, which hasn't passed yet. What can I say? I love giving presents! Lol

**At the Heart of It All**

_Chapter Twenty Three_

Again I've Written Tragedy

"Come near me again and I'll bruise more than your ego, dickhead!"

For such a tiny girl, she had an incredible set of pipes. If the stares they were getting by every person in the mall food court were any indication, there wasn't a single person in the vicinity who couldn't hear her yelling. Pacifying her wasn't an option. Brooke Davis had never liked being told what to do.

"Brooke, relax, I just want to talk," Felix murmured, reaching out for her.

"TALK TO THIS!" she roared, flipping him off. He looked around for help but could only see Haley James, tutor extraordinaire, with a small smile tugging at the corners of her pink lips. No help there. Eventually help arrived, but it sure as hell wasn't the kind he wanted.

"Is he bothering you, ma'am?" a burly security guard asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead that he had acquired, rushing to aide the pretty girl. Normally, Brooke would be kind of repulsed by this, but right now, this man was her savior. Shooting her scum-of-the-Earth ex a final triumphant look, she turned back to the rent-a-cop with a false panicked look on her face and said one word.

"Yes."

With that single word, Felix Taggaro was dragged from the mall by the overweight security guard and a few others who had appeared out of nowhere to help him out. Knowing he was defeated, he didn't bother putting up much of a struggle, but looked at his ex-girlfriend with a strange mix of anger, resentment, admiration and … _lust_? He mouthed one word to her as he exited.

"Bitch."

_Damn right._

"He's disgusting, I **hate** him!" Brooke whispered venomously, for Haley's ears only, but more to herself. Haley smiled slightly, and looked around the food court at the spectators who had started to scatter. The delicious smell of sizzling steak wafted over from a little booth, and Haley was about to walk over there and get some when she noticed something off about Brooke. Suddenly, her bright green eyes had widened and her face turned a similar color as she clamped her hand over her mouth and took off at a run towards the bathroom.

Overwhelmingly concerned, Haley sprinted after her, following her even into the stall and holding back her long brown hair while looking away as her perky friend emptied the contents of her stomach into the basin. She figured that she was being a good enough friend coming in there; she did _not_ need to watch.

"Guess he makes me physically ill too, huh?" Brooke quipped quietly, wiping her mouth and attempting a smile. She got to her feet and walked over to the sinks, rinsing out her mouth and washing her face silently. The outgoing cheerleader stood there afterwards, just staring at herself in the mirror, but it looked like she wasn't really seeing.

"Are you okay, Tigger?" Haley frowned, rubbing her friend's back.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I must just be getting the flu. Stupid Bevin can never keep _anything _to herself," she smiled, and both girls chuckled.

"You still don't look so good. Want to go home?"

"No way! We shouldn't cut our Girls Day short just because Felix is disgusting!" Brooke protested, stamping her right foot and pouting like a five year old. Haley bit her lip to keep from smiling at the sight.

"I really don't think you should over-exert yourself, Brookie. We don't want you to get _really _sick! You can't miss school! I mean, what would your minions do if you weren't there to lead them?" Haley flung her hand over her heart in mock-horror.

"Very funny Tutor Girl. Fine, we'll leave the mall," Brooke sighed, still wearing the pout.

"Want me to come over? We'll watch Legally Blonde and laugh and silently loathe the lead actress and how lucky she is," Haley suggested.

"YES! That sounds great. Goddamn Reese Witherspoon…" muttered Brooke resentfully, linking arms with Haley, and the girls exiting the bathroom, both marveling at how they had managed to find such a good friend.

------------

_Margot__: Here, you're gonna need this.  
__Elle__: Your scrunchie?  
__Margot__: My LUCKY scrunchie. It helped me pass Spanish.  
__Serena__: You passed Spanish because you gave Professor Montoya a lap dance after the final.  
__Margot__: Yeah... Luckily!_

The sound wafted from the television through the cavernous living room from the big screen plasma TV located in the center of it. Two brunettes, so alike and yet **_so_** different, lay sprawled across the floor in a sea of pillows and blankets, cracking up at this part of the movie.

"You feeling better, Tigger?" Haley asked, propping her head up on her right hand. Brooke could just see the top of her head over the mound of pillows, until Haley stuck her chin on top of it to look more closely at her friend.

"Much better now. Thanks Hales," Brooke said gratefully.

Haley opened her mouth to respond, but the phone rang at that exact moment. Grabbing the cordless phone a few feet away, Brooke checked the caller ID.

"Humm… my parents? I didn't know they knew this number!" Brooke quipped. In that instant, Haley was filled with dread and just _knew_ something bad was going to happen. Looking back, she remembered the expressions on her friend's face, but she couldn't make out what was being said. It was like a swirling white mist, covering everything and leaving Haley drifting above it all. She could see the heartbroken expression on Brooke's face, and had no idea what it could be from. Finally, the haze lifted, leaving a cheerleader on the verge of tears, struggling to get out words.

"My dad was… my dad was transferred," she choked out.

"That's okay, B. That's not so bad. Where to? Like, Charleston? Because you'll probably still live here if it's only Charleston, and then nothing will change at all…" Haley babbled.

"I wish we could stay here. But it's a little hard to commute between North Carolina and California every day, or so I'm told," her bitter words hung in the spacious room for an eternity as the girls just held each other and cried.

--------------------------------------------------

_.:shields self from thrown tomatoes. Peeks out from under computer desk, tentatively:. Hi guys… Yeah, you probably all hate me for that one, and with good reason. I kind of hate this chapter too lol. But do I get points for not making you wait for it? Lol probably not. Anyway, please review and let me know what you think. You have no idea how excited I get when I see that I have reviews, and if you did… you'd probably laugh really hard lol. But the more I get, the fast the chapters come out, usually. La la la… anyway, thanks for reading!_

_Xo Sam_

_P.S.- If you happen to be curious about what evil things are stealing my attention away from this story, please check out the two other stories I'm currently working on—**Fate Steps In **and **Breaking the Broken**. And, you know, you could review… if you like… lol. _


	24. Your Eyes

_Writer's block. It's an even bigger bitch than Anna and Peyton combined. (in this story, anyway). I'm going to try and get this chapter out, and hopefully reviews shall be inspirational. Haha…_

_This chapter will probably be kind of short, because I'm struggling with it like you wouldn't believe. Lol the words just don't want to leave me. But hey, I'm trying. I've got like summer induced ADD..._

_Hehe, thanks Lacie! I didn't know I had an awesome streak. Janine… thanks for holding back the tomatoes, even though they were looking pretty good. I'm glad that everybody likes the Baley friendship so much, I have so much fun writing them. Foreverbrucas, you might just be on to me… but I'll never tell. Haha!_

_The song I use at the party is called 'Your Eyes' and it's by Alexz Johnson. Lol, I'm currently absolutely obsessed with the show Instant Star, so that's where that's from. Her voice is incredible, and I_ **love **_this song. Highly recommend._

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, the colors, or any picnic tables.

**At the Heart of It All**

_Chapter Twenty Five_

Your Eyes

"Okay, so black?"

"Too tragic."

"Red?"

"Too sultry. I feel like I should be moving past that stage of my life," said Brooke pensively, avoiding the soft, questioning brown eyes of her friend.

"Purple?" Haley asked, mercifully not dwelling on the subject.

"Dark or light?"

"Dark, knowing you."

"What are you, rattling off the colors of my lingerie?"

"Yes, actually," Haley smirked. She relented under Brooke's stare. "Kidding! Hey, don't shoot the helper."

"I thought it was 'don't shoot the messenger'."

"Usually it is. But as I don't have a message, or a desire to be shot, I figured I'd change it up a little," Haley shrugged. Brooke's intense gaze never wavered. 'This girl is seriously on edge today,' Haley thought. Then Brooke cracked a smile at Haley's funny expression. Finally, that smile gave way to laughter. And, you know… laughter is contagious.

Twenty minutes later, the girls found themselves surrounded by piles of clothing atop Brooke's large, soft bed, struggling for breath. They tried really hard not to look at each other, because when their eyes met, they began to laugh again. It was always a struggle trying to get ready for a party.

"Green," Brooke said with finality.

"What?"

"I think I'll wear green. It feels right," the perky brunette said with a nod of her head. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she heard a voice that she had heard so many times before. A voice that could only belong to the boy she cared for more than anybody else.

_A young girl sat alone on top of the picnic table, sniffling quietly and rapidly wiping at her eyes. She was a cute little girl, with her dark, rich brown her and her bright green eyes. She was wearing adorable designer clothes. Anyone else would wonder **why** parents would put their six year old in such expensive things knowing that they would only get dirty, but that had never been how the Davises operated. It was all about appearance. Sure, they had the money to back up that philosophy, but was that really any way for their little girl to go through life?_

_Casting a hurt, jealous, angry look at Theresa Miller, six year old Brooke Davis sighed and put her head down in her hands. Her mother had always told her that crying was a sign of weakness, and so she really didn't want those other girls to see it. It was during story time when Theresa had discovered that a lot of girls in the class had brown eyes, including herself. This was when she decided that that made them special, and she was going to only hang out with brown-eyed girls. Though she had always had a lot of friends, at recess that day, green-eyed Brooke found herself all alone. _

Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. Shuffle.

_Brooke could sense that whatever was making that noise was coming closer and closer to her. The bouncing was approaching. However, she didn't look up. The less people that saw her hurt and alone, the better. _

_"Hey," was the simple greeting. She thought that if she ignored the person behind it, they would go away. However, she could feel the balance on the bench shift as more weight was applied to it. After ten straight minutes of sitting in silence, she looked up, locking her blood-shot eyes with his calm blue ones._

_"Hey," he said again. _

_"What do you want?" Brooke had demanded._

_"I just thought you could use a friend," he offered quietly. She studied him hard, and found nothing but honesty in those eyes. Slowly, a grateful smile broke out across her face, revealing her famous dimples._

_"I do," she revealed, offering a piece of her Hershey Chocolate with Almonds to him, which he took with a small smile. _

_"So what happened? Aren't you friends with the girl with frizzy hair?" he asked, gesturing vaguely over towards Theresa._

_Brooke let out a real, hearty laugh at this. "We were. But they don't like me anymore," she sighed sadly._

_"Why not? You seem nice to me."_

_"Because I don't have brown eyed. All the rest of them do. Except for those girls over there, but for some reason, none of them like me either." _

_"I like your eyes. They're pretty. They look nice when you wear green, too," he said with the blatant honesty that only a six year old could provide._

_"Thanks," she grinned, her dimples deepening, while straightening out her forest green tank top._

_"And you know... it doesn't really matter what everyone else thinks, as long as you like you. You know?" he asked, stumbling a little on some words. Brooke didn't say anything, but marveled silently at how this boy could be so insightful. She opened her mouth to say something in response, but the teacher blew the whistle, signaling them to go inside. Instead, the brunette slid her tiny hand into his and gave it a small squeeze and couldn't hide her happy grin when he didn't let her hand go. _

_The next day, Peyton Sawyer had declared that eye color didn't matter. Peyton, being taller, thinner and cooler than Theresa, always had authority. Looking back, high-schooler-Brooke would always ponder the irony that there was already a social ladder, even in kindergarten. Peyton had decided that it didn't matter if your eyes were brown, it mattered if you were pretty. This immediately bumped Brooke back into the 'in-crowd', and had kicked many of the brown-eyed girls out. Brooke had been thankful, and she and the girl with blonde curls had quickly become friends. But even though she had all her old friends back, she didn't forget about her new one. That marked the beginning of the friendship of Brooke Davis and Lucas Scott.  
_

"Yoo hoo? Earth to Tigger! Brooke Davis, are you alive in there?" Haley laughed, waving her hand back and forth in front of her daydreaming friend.

"Wha—oh, sorry Hales. I was just having a flashback," Brooke grinned and Haley rolled her eyes, tossing a pillow at her and getting up off the bed. Haley headed into the adjoining bathroom to start getting ready for the party. Brooke gently moved aside the piles of clothes until she found a silky, deep green halter. Fingering the fabric softly, she could still hear his words echoing inside of her.

_'They look nice when you wear green.' _

------------

Sex. Drugs. Alcohol. Brooke grinned slightly when she thought about how stereotypical this was for a high school party. The smile faltered a little bit when she thought of what Karen would say if she knew. Shrugging it off, thinking that she had been in high school once, she knew what it was like; Brooke tried to shake herself of the thought. If that thought failed, there was always 'What she doesn't know won't hurt her.' And as Karen was in New Zealand, chances of her finding out any time soon were pretty slim.

"Davis! Play me at beer pong!" some drunken voice called through the crowded room. Normally, Brooke would've accepted, but thoughts of Karen still swirled in her head, and this time, she couldn't shake was the woman who was like a mother to her would say if she saw Brooke totally wasted. She shook her head graciously, and blended into the crowd. Normally, she was one to stand out, but she just didn't feel like it lately.

Bright eyes scanning the room, they fell upon Haley James. She had grown to love that girl like her sister. It was really amazing to Brooke that until recently, she had thought of her as just another mousy tutor. She had been nothing to Brooke, and now she was almost everything. The pretty girl was leaning against the wall, sullenly swirling her red plastic cup. Brooke's eyes widened. _Haley _was _drinking_? But suddenly she picked up a can of Sprite and poured it into the cup. She caught Brooke's eye and smirked.

_Gotcha!_

But their contact was broken when a certain basketball player stepped into it. Glancing up cautiously, Nathan Scott saw Haley standing near the wall behind the refreshments. He said something to her that caused her to frown slightly, but Hales was never one to back down. She spat something back. They glared intensely at each other for a moment, before Haley said something to make the athlete crack a smile. It looked to Brooke like friendly banter was ensuing, but she wasn't close enough to be sure. She decided not to bother with lip-reading. They were too far away, and she was positive that Haley would relive the entire encounter for her later.

Continuing her mental survey of Tim's party, her eyes landed on Lucas and a smile light up her face. It dwindled when she saw who he was talking to.

Anna.

Focusing her telepathic powers, Brooke stared really hard at Lucas. She was hoping her powers would kick in soon. Sighing, she was coming to terms with the fact that she had no supernatural abilities when her best friend turned his light blue gaze upon her. Score! Maybe she should rethink those superpowers…

Grinning, Lucas excused himself from Anna and made his way over to Brooke. The Latina girl glared with intense hatred at the head cheerleader, but neither noticed. Leaving Anna simmering on the sidelines, they hugged.

"Hey best friend! What's up?" Brooke asked with her usual pep.

"Nothing," he sighed.

"This party is lame," they said at the same time, then laughed. They continued to chat over anything and nothing. An idle conversation, one that can only take place between people who know each other better than anyone else. A moment of silence fell between them as soft notes of music pulsed through the huge speakers. Slowly, couples came together, swaying as one on the floor.

"May I have this dance?" he asked with a small bow, laughter in his voice.

"You may, good sir," she nodded, with a tiny curtsy. Wrapping her arms around his neck, he slid his hands to her waist, and they began to move leisurely. Neither said anything, enjoying the moment and the feel of each other again.

_If I was drowning in the sea_

_Would you dive right in and save me?_

_If I was falling like a star_

_Would you be right there to catch me?_

_If I was dreaming of your kiss_

_Would you look right through me?_

_Oh I, on the street I'm raining_

_Oh I, in my heart it's raining_

_Your eyes are holding up the sky_

_Your eyes make me weak, I don't know why_

_And baby your eyes make me scared to tell the truth  
_

"Cheery?" he whispered.

"Mmh?"

"Open your eyes."

"Why?" she asked with a small smile.

"Because they're still pretty," he said simply, and she beamed. He remembered too. The whole room seemed to fade away as they looked at each other and smiled. Haley's eyes opened widely, and she nudged Nathan, who turned around quickly. Bevin saw this and nudged Theresa, and so on, until almost the whole party was looking. However, neither Brooke nor Lucas noticed this. Almost in slow motion, Lucas leaned down as Brooke leaned up, and their lips met slowly and sweetly as the onlookers burst into a loud round of applause.

_I thought my heart was bullet-proof_

_But now I'm dancing on the roof_

_And everybody knows_

_I'm into you_

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_Humm… what do you guys think? Review and you're my favorite person in the world! Lol I'm dying to know what you all thought of this chapter. So… let me know. 'Kay? Thanks, you guys are the best! Thanks for reading._

_Xo Sam_


	25. Love Takes Time

_Hiya! Lol hey guys… thank you, as always, for your wonderful reviews. I have no idea why I've been hitting such a block with writing lately, but you guys have been great, so hopefully I can just get over it lol. I'm glad that you guys liked the flashback last chapter. I was seriously like giggling as I wrote it, but sometimes I'm just weird. Sorry if you thought the applause last chapter was unnecessary, but Brooke and Lucas are the golden couple at Tree Hill High, and since everybody at the party was watching, waiting, and eagerly anticipating what would happen next between them. And since everybody was paying attention to them, I figured that some sappy, clichéd applause was better than the six year old approach—"Eww!" Lol sorry… it just felt right at the time. _

_Janine- your review cracked me up. I'm glad that the tomatoes are safe. For now. Insert diabolical laughter here. _

_Linds- Hahah, I'm glad that you got what I was trying to do there. _

_BlueSilverLining- Lol I'm so happy you didn't think that was cringy! I was really worried about that! haha_

_Amalisa- Thank you! )_

_Othbaby08- you absolutely cracked me up. I **loved** your review lol._

_Mags- Loved the e-mails, as usual. _

_I really appreciate all of your reviews. Seriously, you guys keep me going lol._

**Major fluff alert. Try not to gag. Lol.**

_(Sorry, but my other story is so dark, and I feel like everybody's been through enough in this story to get a short break. Enjoy while it lasts. Lol) _

Disclaimer: All characters belong to… somebody else.

**At the Heart of It All**

_Twenty Five_

Love Takes Time

"So, where does this leave us?" she asked slowly. Green locked on blue as they met each other's eyes, each looking for some deep meaning, some answer to all their questions.

"I don't know, Cheery, I don't know…" he said, frowning slightly. "Well, where do you _want _this to leave us?"

"I don't know either Luke! I mean, you're my best friend. You've been my best friend for practically our entire lives—"

"Eleven years," he coughed.

"Same difference!" she half-shouted, half-laughed. It was a tense moment for both Brooke and Lucas, and as frustrating as it was, neither could really be angry at the moment. "Promise me we'll always be best friends like this."

"Of course we will, Brooke. You're my Cheery. We're like that yin and yang thing," he explained clumsily, but she got his meaning. She could see how hard it was for him at this moment to explain to her that they would always be there for each other, even if they weren't _with _each other. The sentiment was reassuring, and Brooke flung her arms around his neck.

"Thank you, Broody."

A few peaceful moments passed, with each perfectly content to hold the other. Finally though, Brooke just had to speak.

"How did you remember that yin and yang thing? I haven't mentioned that theory of mine in **_ages_**."

"Your necklace," Lucas admitted quietly, with a small chuckle, pointing to the small black and white circle dangling from a thin silver chain around Brooke's neck.

"Oh. I think you just lost all creativity points right there, Mr. Scott," Brooke laughed, poking him in the chest. Catching her hand as it came down, Lucas absentmindedly laced their fingers together. Both sat deep in thought, as the laughter of the previous moments faded away.

"Where does this leave us, Luke?" Brooke whispered. In that instant, she looked like her six year old self again. Lucas saw the young, frightened, tearful girl he had met that day on the playground. She looked innocent again, shaking in fear and confusion.

"Hopefully dating. For real this time," he said, placing a little kiss on the knuckles intertwined with his. Brooke's moist green eyes opened wide.

"But Luke—"

"Brooke, I know what you're going to say. And I do feel the same way. I know that our friendship is the most important thing, but we know that we'll always have that. I'll never let you go, because you matter more to me than anyone else in the world. And if you don't want to date, then I'll take you any way I can get you, but Brooke… I can't keep hiding what I feel, and I think we need to try it for real this time."

The tears pouring down her pale face made him rethink what he had just said, and how he could have possibly upset her. Instead, she leaned upwards and kissed him deeply.

"Don't hurt me."

"Wouldn't dream of it," he laughed.

A charged look passed between them, and the atmosphere was much heavier. Brooke kissed Lucas again, more aggressively this time. Moments passed, full of roaming hands and dueling tongues, when his calloused hands reached the bare skin at the bottom of her silky shirt.

"Brooke, we don't have to…" Lucas started awkwardly.

"No, we don't. But I want to. I want this. I want us," Brooke whispered, looking him straight in the eye as she removed the halter herself. And as the green silk hit the floor, all protests were ended, and only one thought remained.

_Us. _

--------------

"Brucas reunited. Pretty crazy, huh?" she asked, her fingers playing through the sand beneath her hands, her soft brown eyes watching the waves crash against the shore. Haley had always thought that there was something truly remarkable about the beach. All the little grains, coming together to make a sand bar. The waves, which could be so rough and so gentle. The sort of reassuring nature of the entire thing, that if you got pulled out, somehow, somewhere, you would be washed back into shore.

_The world we live in takes care of its own. _

She smiled a little as she saw the ripples made by jumping fish. He watched her carefully. Haley James had always been an enigma to him. Beautiful, without being sexy. Smart, without being "brainy". Caring, without being sappy. Trusting, without being gullible. Nathan Scott found her just as remarkable as she found the beach.

"Hold on—_Brucas_?" he asked with a laugh. She blushed a little under his light blue stare.

"Well, yeah! Brooke and Lucas!"

"_Brucas_?"

"Yeah! All couples need a cutesy combination nickname," she explained cheerfully.

"Oh really?" he asked with a smile tugging at his lips.

"Yes really."

"Who else has one?"

"Well… um… when Brooke and I found Peyton hooking up with Jake in that supply closet, they were Jeyton. Or Pake, I guess. We used Jeyton. It just had a better ring to it."

"So Jake cheated on you?" Nathan asked, anger sparking in his clear eyes.

"No! Well yes, actually. But it doesn't really matter… we were never really 'going out'," Haley mumbled, digging deeper into the sand. Nate's large hand cupping her chin, forcing her to look up at him.

"You deserve much better than that," he said. She said nothing, but gazed at him meaningfully. There was a message in her eyes that she was desperate for him to receive. After a few minutes, Nathan realized that he was still holding onto her, and gently let go, turning slightly red.

"So, what else is there?" he asked abruptly.

"What?"

"Other couple nicknames. This is simply fascinating," he quipped.

"Hum… well, way back when you dated the she-devil herself, you were Pathan, or Neyton."

"Urgh, don't remind me," he mumbled with his head in his hands.

"And if Peyton had a shot in hell of landing Luke, they would be Pucas," Haley grimaced.

"Or Leyton," Nathan piped up.

"No. It's safe to say that they would be puke-y," she said, and both laughed.

"You and Jake are… Jaley?" Nathan prodded.

"If I had any interest in cheating basketball-playing bastards, then yeah, we could be Jaley. Or Hake," Haley stated firmly.

"Ouch for Jagelski."

"If you got with Brooke, you'd be Brathan."

"That's ridiculous. Everybody knows that Brooke and Lucas belong together. Brookie's a nice girl, but she's not for me. She never would be."

"Brooke and Lucas do belong together," Haley nodded. "I mean, just think how cool _Brucas _sounds. If they weren't meant to be together, it wouldn't flow that well."

"You seem to have a lot of faith in this nicknaming thing," Nathan noted with mirth in his eyes.

"Totally. It's just like a song. If it sounds right, it's more likely to feel right."

"You sing?" asked Nathan curiously.

"A little," Haley said modestly.

"You'll have to sing for me some time."

"I'll think about it."

Twenty minutes passed in relative silence, but neither noticed. This was probably the first comfortable silence they had ever sat through together, and neither wanted to spoil the moment. It could signify that maybe they were coming closer together, now that they could do something other than argue and kiss.

"We'd be Naley," he said quietly.

"What?"

"If we were dating. We'd be Naley," Nathan muttered, wishing he hadn't said that out loud.

"Yeah," Haley smiled fondly. "I like the sound of that."

"So maybe one day…?"

"Maybe one day we can be Naley."

No more words were exchanged that night, but they didn't really need them. Her tiny hand found its way into his much larger one, and they held on tight. Their hands had never found a more perfect match.

--------------

_Eek? Lol I hope you guys don't completely hate me. I just thought we had to right to a little fluff before some more big drama hits. Hopefully you didn't all die because you gagged on this, and can review? Lol that would be much appreciated. Thanks for reading!_

_Xo Sam _


	26. You Were Meant For Me

_Hey guys! Thanks for your reviews! Seriously, they're the reason why this story continues, I owe you guys so much. Here's the one more chapter of fluff I promised Maggie before we dive back in…_

_NOTE: I recently started a new story (even though I have absolutely no business doing so, because I currently have three stories running as it is lol) and you will be my bestest friend if you read and review it lol. It's an OTH fic called **Beyond Good and Evil** and its very AU. It was started as a challenge for the Writers411 group, but I'd love to know what you guys think of it, because your opinions **really** matter to me. _

_I also have something special in this chapter for Jeytonlover, because you've stuck with my story this whole time even though I totally destroyed them lol. _

**At the Heart of It All**

_Chapter Twenty-Six_

You Were Meant For Me

"Have you seen Brooke?" he asked in a rush. Haley's head shot up to look into the clear blue eyes of a boy she had become fast friends with. He was currently red-faced and out of breath, clearly having run all the way down the hall to talk to her.

"Hi. Nice to see you too, Luke. Yep, I'm fine. Brooke's not though. She's sick. Flu, or something," Haley shrugged. Immediately, his forehead creased in worry.

"She's sick again?"

"Yep. Tigger hasn't been feeling well for a while, you know that Luke."

"I know... I was just hoping she was getting better…" he pondered aloud, his eyes seeming to lose focus, just as he was lost in thought. It was as if a light bulb went off over his head as his beautiful eyes snapped back into focus.

"Okay, thanks Hales," he shouted over his shoulder.

"Where are you going, Luke? Class starts in two minutes!" she called back to him, not caring that they were making a scene in the school corridor.

"Are you kidding? I can't go to class when my girl is sick!" he yelled, the door swinging closed behind him, causing just about every girl in the hallway to swoon. Haley just smiled fondly.

"Hopeless romantic, don't you think?" a deep voice said in her ear. She shivered slightly before turning a little to lock her honey brown eyes with a pair of light blue ones.

"I would say so. But it's cute," she said, and he nodded in agreement.

"Walk me to class?" she asked, and he nodded again. Haley James and Nathan Scott linked arms and took off towards class, leaving a buzzing gossip mill behind them.

----------------

The crimson red nail polish was a nice contrast to the stark white of the sheets. And of her skin. Sometimes she seemed so pale that she was also blue, in a luminous way that he just couldn't tear his eyes away from her. The vision of perfection stretched languidly across his bed, and Jake Jagelski had to wonder how he had ever gotten so lucky.

This was almost his favorite time to observe her. The one time where she wasn't brooding over art, or cheering, or her parents, or any of the other worries that taint her. The only time she didn't have up her walls. She looked calm and peaceful; her blonde curls sprawled about her head like a halo, the white sheet lying haphazardly across her body.

One sleepy hazel eye opened slowly, and a tiny grin stole across her pale, pretty face.

"Hey," she croaked, clearing the sleep from her eyes.

"Hey," he whispered back.

"What are you doing?" Peyton asked, rolling onto her stomach and gathering the sheet around her. He smiled fondly at this action. It was the same every time.

"Nothing. Just thinking…"

"About me?" she asked with a cheeky grin.

"Who else?" he smiled back, softly stroking her curls.

"There better not be anybody else," Peyton pouted.

_It's now or never, Jake._

"Peyton, I—"he choked out, trying both to find the words and force them down at the same time.

"You what, Jake?" her eyebrows furrowed, anticipation in her eyes.

He mumbled something incoherent, prompting her to ask again what he said.

"I love you, Peyton," Jake said quickly, but much louder this time. His warm eyes didn't look at her, but out the window, and her pink lips fell open a little bit. She gaped openly for a moment, before remembering herself.

"Jake," she whispered softly. "Jake, look at me," she instructed, using her delicate artist's hands to tip his chin towards her. "I love you, too."

Both were in shock for a moment. Did this really just happen? Realization set in as both their eyes sparkled and grins spread across their faces. Their lips met in the middle as the familiar spark passed through them. How could they have ever thought they were meant for someone else?

------------------

_Knock, knock._

He was freezing, and beginning to grow slightly impatient, but he knew deep down that he would stand on that doorstep until the end of time waiting for her. After ten knocks on the big red door, he was beginning to wonder if he was going to have to. Finally, the door swung open to reveal a watery-eyed Brooke Davis dressed in an olive green Juicy sweat suit with a skin tone to match. Nevertheless, she looked thrilled to see him.

"Broody Boyfriend!" she squealed, jumping into his arms unexpectedly, almost causing him to drop the bags he was holding.

"Feeling any better, Cheery?" he whispered, caressing her hair.

"Now that you're here," she whispered against his neck, giving him goose bumps that had nothing to do with the weather. "Speaking of, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at school?"

"I had to come see you," he admitted sheepishly, and she grinned.

"That's adorable! Man, I love this whole dating thing. Do you want to come in?"

"No Brooke, I'd really like to stand out here on your doorstep in the snow. But please, take my coat and gloves first," he deadpanned. She giggled a little.

"Fine, be that way," she stepped back, starting to close the door, but he blocked it, swooping in and placing a little kiss on her lips.

"Luke! You'll get sick!"

"If it's your illness, I don't mind," he murmured, causing her to blush a little. Brooke didn't bother trying to come up with a retort, merely pulled him inside.

"So what's in the bags?"

"Ahh… this is the Make Cheery Cheery Emergency Kit. It's got soup, your favorite movies, and that Disney Princesses coloring book that you claim you don't like anymore, but we both know that isn't true," Lucas responded matter-of-factly.

Brooke gasped. "I do not!"

"And I brought colored pencils too," he added.

"Ooh. Okay. Whatever, you win, give me the coloring book."

------------------

"Haley? We need to talk," his deep voice interrupted the silence of the Tutoring Center. The petite brunette looked up from her desk.

"Geez! You startled me! Why does everybody keep sneaking up on me today?" she asked with a little laugh.

He said nothing, just gave a tiny smile, and the air in the Tutoring Center seemed to get heavier.

"What's up, Jake?" she asked, concern marking her pretty face.

"Eh... um… I'm really sorry Haley, but I can't take you to prom."

Her expression crumbled, and the basketball player thought that he would never feel guiltier than at that moment. But he knew it was for the best.

"Oh… um, okay… can I ask why not?" she asked, the normally articulate girl choking on her words a little. Haley took a sip of water to calm herself down. All her planning, dreaming, and all that time she had spent looking forward to going to prom just totally washed away.

"This isn't easy for me to say, Haley, but… I'm in love with Peyton."

The water making its way down the tutor's throat changed it's mouth and rocketed with force out onto the table.

"You're _what_?" she asked.

"I'm in love with Peyton. I know that you don't like her much, so you won't be able to understand this, but I hope we can still be friends."

"Yeah. Don't worry about it. I'm used to disappointment when it comes to you," she snapped, slamming her book shut and walking briskly out of the room. She could hear him calling her from inside the center, but she didn't care. She sped up, if anything. Tears began to blur her vision until she had no idea where she was going, just blindly running as far as her legs would take her. Haley James, tutor extraordinaire, ran smack into a muscular chest.

"Haley! Oh my… Haley, what's wrong?" she looked up into the concerned eyes of Nathan Scott. Trying to swallow the lump in her throat and force away her ridiculous tears, she attempted to form some words that would make this make sense again.

"Jeyton," was all she could come up with, become collapsing against him, overcome by her tears. He said nothing about her habit of nicknaming this time though, just held her, drying her tears and whispering sweet nothings into her ear.

Neither noticed heavy footsteps from down the hall, so neither took note when the basketball player making them stopped short. He watched their emotional exchange silently and wondered if it was really him and Peyton who were meant for each other.

------------------

_Humm… that didn't come out as fluffy as I thought it would. At least, I don't think so. Please review and let me know what you think. Reviews mean the world to me. And don't forget to read **Beyond Good and Evil** lol! Thanks for reading! _

_Xo Sam_


	27. It's Not Easy Being Green

_Hey guys! Sorry, I know it's been a really long time since I updated this story, but I've got a few others stories going, and I've been sick, and lately I'm in way over my head. Right now though, I'm feeling very inspired, so I'm going to try and get out a chapter. Apologies in advance if it's either sucky or short lol…_

_All of you wonderful reviewers are getting warm when it comes to one of the plot devices. Trust me, it'll piss you off, and it would be so typical that even I would hate myself, **but**… it's not what it seems. Only Maggie knows the truth, muah ha ha. Shhh… _

_Here ends the fluff. _

**At the Heart of It All**

_Chapter Twenty Seven_

It's Not Easy Being Green

"Are you okay, Tigger?" Haley's concerned voice filtered through the pastel-toned dressing room of the tiny Central Avenue boutique.

"Perfect Hales, why?" Brooke called back from the other side of the changing stall curtain, its usual cheerfulness slightly distorted.

"I don't know, maybe because I couldn't decide what was greener—you or the last dress you tried on."

Haley and Brooke had slowly been making their way from shop to shop in pursuit of the perfect prom dresses. It was tiring work, but somebody had to do it. While they had both started off enthusiastic, after five hours and too many boutiques to count, their enthusiasm had dwindled. However, Haley was truly growing concerned for her friend, who seemed even more tired than she was. Brooke had lost her spunk long ago.

"Yeah, I'm not feeling so hot," Brooke mumbled, stumbling through the curtain into the lounge area. Her sharp green eyes looked strangely unfocused and her skin was a shade or two paler than usual. Her illness seemed to vary from hour to hour, and this wasn't one of her better ones. Regardless, Haley couldn't deny it—

"Well, you **look **hot!" she blurted, and both girls lapsed into hysterics. Gathering themselves before the nosy attendant could butt in, they stood side by side, gazing at their reflections. Formal never having really been her thing, Haley stood before the looking glass in a strapless pale yellow tear length dress, a red sash around her tiny waist accenting it nicely. Brooke was a completely different story. It seemed that the head cheerleader was born for formal events. A floor-length halter gown of lilac silk hung on her lanky frame. Looking at themselves, then at each other, both wondered how they had ever lived without the other, and hoped they would never find out again.

"This just fits," Haley voiced what they were both thinking. And it was true on so many levels.

----------

"Feeling better now, Brookie?" Haley's voice rang into the airwaves. It was 11:30, and they had called a time-out on their shopping expedition hours ago, and she left her friend with strict instructions to get in bed, get some soup, and get better **soon**.

Perched on the edge of her bed, she was painting her toenails a very vibrant shade of red. Old-Haley would never had thought to use such a bold color, but the tutor had changed a lot since becoming Brooke's friend. She never wondered if such change was a good thing, preferring to focus on the fact that she was more comfortable with herself than she had ever been. So what if she lost her longtime crush, Jake Jagelski? She had Nathan Scott now. Or at least, she almost did. It drove Haley James crazy that she was never quite sure where she stood with the handsome basketball star. One thing that she knew for sure was that she wouldn't become just another toy for him to play with. And so she had to protect her heart until she knew that his was on the line.

"N-not really," Brooke stammered, and Haley laid down the polish brush on her bedside table and sat up straight. She had an uncanny visual of her friend sitting straight up in her window seat, knuckles white, face ashen, green eyes round. In other words, the exact position Brooke Davis was currently in. Her heart was racing a thousand miles a minute, and she could feel it thundering in her throat. Her stomach was threatening to revolt, for not the first time that day. This couldn't be happening. Not to her. This happened to other girls, girls in Lifetime movies or cheesy teen melodramas. This couldn't happen to Brooke Davis.

"What's up, Brooke?" anxiety was gnawing at Haley. Brooke was like a sister to her now, and she didn't know what she would do if something were wrong.

Mumbled words made an indistinguishable noise into the phone, and Haley's brow furrowed as she tried to decode it. "What?"

"I'm late," Brooke sighed with tears in her voice.

If it weren't for the silent changing of her digital alarm clock on the bedside table, Haley James would've thought that time had stopped. Both girls were completely silent, holding their breath it seemed. Haley considered quipping 'For what?' as so many ditzy girls she had seen on television do. But there was a time and place for everything, and she determined that it wasn't time to make a joke when it felt like the world was crashing to an end.

"Did you take a test yet?" she asked.

"Not yet… but I don't really need one to tell me that I'm days late for my period."

Moments of dense silence passed, and it felt as if the quiet was building a thick, impenetrable wall.

"Did you tell Lucas that he's going to be a father?" she questioned silently. This was too much. This morning, she had had a best friend with the flu. Tonight, she had a best friend who was going to be a teenage mother. Her mind wandering in the way that only Haley's does, she noted dimly that if she hooked up with Nathan, eventually they could get married, making her Brooke's baby's aunt-in-law… or something…

"No," Brooke choked through, snapping Haley from her ridiculous train of thought and onto the crisis at hand. "Because that's not true."

Her subsequent sob told Haley all she needed to know.

"I'll be over in a minute."

----------

_Please, be reasonable—do not toss tomatoes or threaten to burn me at the stake lol. I'm as big a brucas fan as the rest of you, but seriously, what's a brucas without major drama? I was going to keep writing, but I was upsetting myselflol.Just have faith… and **review**! (.:sigh:. yes, even if only to tell me how horrible I am lol)_

_Thanks for everybody who read and reviewed my other OTH story, **Beyond Good and Evil**._

_Thanks for reading!_

_Xo Sam_


	28. The End of an Era

_I. AM. SO. SORRY. I know that I've completely left you guys hanging, but lately everything's been so crazy, and I've got so much other stuff going on and… nevermind, no excuses, I'll just get on with the story lol. _

**At the Heart of It All**

_Chapter Twenty-Eight_

The End of An Era

The music blasted, filling the entire neighborhood with sounds of pounding drums and humming synthesizers and expletive lyrics. It was hardly anything new, a typical night for the teens of Tree Hill. Inside, sweaty bodies would dance together in a large throb stretching the entire clubs, some closer than others. People would drink, people would kiss, people would make mistakes.

Brooke Davis glanced wistfully around Tric, noticing how things had changed so much since Karen had been away. A head of glossy blonde curls glimmered from behind the DJ booth, Peyton Sawyer spinning away. She looked typically bored, well, typical for Peyton anyway. Yet you couldn't help but notice the small smile tugging at her thin lips as she gazed around at the vinyl records surrounding her. Peyton was certainly in her element. Brooke was surprised that she even noticed she was still in a club, surrounded by people. It brought her back a bit. Even when they were nine, P. Sawyer, as she had affectionately called her, had an insatiable love for music. It would take young Brooke moments at a time to try and regain her best friend's attention. A wry smile tugged at her own lips as Brooke realized that she would give anything to be nine years old again.

A sudden jolt shot through her, stiffening her spine as hazel eyes locked on bright green ones. Both girls were surprised to suddenly look up and lock eyes, but neither seemed to be able to look away. Each waited patiently for the scowl or glare that they had come to expect, but both of their pretty faces remained blank. Attempting a small smile, Brooke looked pleadingly at her former friend. Peyton returned the smile before returning back to her turntables, the significant moment caught between the hard rock sounds.

Turning her attention anywhere else seemed too painful to attempt. Watching the disco ball swirling round and round, the neon lights of the "TRIC" sign gloating brightly, Brooke knew that she could make it through the night if she just kept her eyes above everybody else's head level. A stiff cocktail would help too, but those were off-limits now.

"You okay, Tig?" Haley chirped, appearing from nowhere and tossing her arm around her friend's slumped shoulders. Brooke hadn't left this corner all night, and quite frankly, Haley couldn't blame her. Scowling towards the center of the dance floor where Tree Hill High's newest buzz-worthy couple was putting on quite the show, Haley could think of fourteen hundred jokes to say, but knew that none of them would change a thing, so she mercifully stayed silent.

"Yep, I'm just dandy, Hales," Brooke muttered suddenly, swirling the water around in her cup, eyes visibly tracing its endless circuit, a dizzying swirl on green. "_Just dandy_."

"Look, I'm positive he doesn't _like_ her," Haley stated, forcefully. "Nathan even _told_ me that Luke's trying to get back into the game, or some macho term for he's really hung up on you but won't admit it."

Focusing her still slightly swirling bright eyes on the center of the dance floor, Brooke took in the sight of Lucas and his date, not for the first time that night. She was tall and blonde and pretty and skinny, and Brooke had never wanted more for a bolt of lightning to strike someone down. His ice blue eyes locked with her gaze again, and unlike with Peyton, she couldn't bear to make eye contact with _this _former best friend. There was always something about Lucas's eyes that made her feel like he could see right down inside of her. He had always loved what he had seen before, but Brooke knew now that what she contained was no good. Not for him. Probably not even for her. Definitely not for '_them_.'

"No…" Brooke coughed, a tiny lump rising in her throat where it was most certainly unwelcome. "No, I hope he likes her. He deserves to be happy. And she seems… ehh… really nice…"

"Are you _kidding _me! Sorry, wrong word choice," Haley blushed, casting her eyes downward shamefully. An instant later, she was back up again. "Rachel. Nice. You must be on crack. Everybody knows Rachel isn't _nice_. She's a freaking man stealing slut, that's what she is!" she argued passionately. Brooke gave her new best friend a half-hearted smile.

"Well, it's still an upgrade. At least his _new_ slut isn't pregnant," she said in her usual perky manner, but it did nothing to disguise the raw pain in her voice, the agony in her eyes.

"You and Lucas can still make it work!" Haley argued, as if pleading with Brooke, like it was up to the brunette. If it were up to Brooke, none of this would be happening at all. If it were up to Brooke, she and Lucas would be curled up on his living room couch, watching any movie his heart desired, and that would be enough for her. Even being able to be within five feet of him would be enough for her.

"You didn't see him Hales… you didn't see the look in his eyes… I couldn't have hurt him more if I stabbed him on the spot. It was horrible. No, I deserve this," Brooke stammered, the tears welling up.

"Nobody deserves **_this_**, Brooke! He's practically dump-humping some bleach blonde skank, _in public_, not even a week after you guys break up!"

"Haley. I cheated on him. With my disgusting scum-bag of an ex—"

"You don't even remember that! It's obvious that Felix did something to you, we all know that you wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole—"

"Which oddly enough doesn't explain how I woke up naked with him," Brooke bit back, a single tear sliding down her porcelain cheek. Sighing wearily, Haley glanced back across Tric to notice Lucas's rapt attention on his ex-girlfriend. He visibly shuddered as the noticeable tear on Brooke cheek made its way down towards her tilted chin. Then, as if he could feel Haley's eyes on him, he turned away. 'Now _that's_ maturity,' she thought with a sigh.

"I'm still not convinced. You've been sick for like _ever_, but notice, you're still as enviably skinny as you've always been, you evil bitch," Haley lay out logically.

"My mom didn't start showing with me until she was nearly five months along," Brooke said stubbornly, crossing her arms protectively over her flat stomach. The strobe lights made her look as if she were a flipbook, and in the back of her mind, she noted how ridiculous it was that were having this conversation in a nightclub downtown.

"I'm not convinced," Haley said, mirroring Brooke's own actions. "I'm not going to be convinced until either a fetus comes shooting out of you during third period, or you go to the clinic."

Both paused for a moment at the visual the babbling brunette just providing. Shaking her head, and the thought away, Brooke persevered. "I told you Haley, I don't need a test. I **_know_**."

"But what if you're wrong? People are wrong all the time," Haley said, seriousness radiating from her warm honey brown eyes. Despite the ache of fear ever-present in her still flat stomach, Brooke couldn't help but feel safe now. After all that she had done, Haley was still here. She still loved her. They were like sisters, they really were. Together now, Brooke really felt like she could get through anything. If only she could get past the gut-wrenching loss of Lucas…

"But what if I'm not?" Brooke asked rhetorically, frown lines marring her beautiful face. She could feel Lucas's piercing gaze on her every once in a while, like fire burning it's way through her flesh, burning her very core.

"You might be, though, Brookie. I don't think this is something you can just wait on. You need to know _now_!"

"Why?" she asked sadly, eyes on the swaying hips and roaming hands of her ex-boyfriend and his new conquest.

"Because it could mean the difference between happiness with the boy you're in love with, or a lifetime of looking at _that_," Haley said pointedly, her voice betraying her disgust.

"Disgusting, isn't it?" a familiar voice pondered. Feeling movement behind her, Brooke tensed in alarm that someone had overheard them. However, it seemed Peyton had only joined in on the last part of that conversation.

"That girl's such a freaking tramp," Haley stated adamantly. Peyton nodded in agreement. Brooke did nothing, but the fiery look in her eyes said something else completely.

"Hey Pey, remember when we used to be best friends?" Brooke asked, eyes still locked on Lucas. His gaze caught hers, and this time, neither of them looked away. Neither smiled nor frowned, but the connection remained unbroken between them, and Brooke not only found that comforting, but symbolic.

"Of course," Peyton said, her confusion evident.

"And Tutor Girl, you remember how you used to like Jake, but now you're totally vibing on Nathan?"

"I'm not _vibing on_ Nathan!" Haley protested, blushing furiously.

"Whatever. The point is that you don't care about Jake, so you don't have anything against Peyton, because honestly, it's not really her fault that Jake's such a whore. No offense, Blondie," Brooke continued, eyes never leaving Lucas's.

"None taken," Peyton waved it away.

"So now we're all going to be friends again."

"Okay?" Haley and Peyton questioned in unison, before laughing slightly.

"Well, guys still suck, school still sucks, life still sucks, and we still suck at interacting with the three previously named, so I figure that we've all got some common ground."

"Fair enough," Haley said with a slight laugh.

"Alright then. Do you guys want to get out of here? We could, like, I don't know…watch a movie?"

"P.Sawyer, now we're talking! SLEEPOVER!" Brooke grinned slightly. "I'll meet you guys at Peyton's in about an hour."

"Where are you going?"

A tense moment of silence hung between the three, two waiting with baited breath for the third's words, the head cheerleader weighing her words carefully.

"I've got a question that _needs _to be answered."

------------------------

_Hey guys. Sorry that this took so long, but like I said, life's been absolutely insane lately. I'll try to keep going with more consistency, but no promises lol. This chapter is for **Summer**, who e-mailed me a few days ago and prompted me to get my ass back to work lol. I'm sorry if it sucked, but I guess I need to get readjusted to this story lol. Please review and let me know what you thought, even if you hated it lol._

_Thanks for reading!_

_Xo Sam_


	29. The Truth Will Be Understood

**At the Heart of It All**

_Chapter Twenty-nine _

The Truth Will Be Understood…

Her tiny fists pounded angrily against the large front door, and Brooke Davis cursed the family for being so uncreative. Every other house in the neighborhood had an ornate door, originally colored. Her own front door, bright red in its color, had been the most vibrant in town. The next door neighbor's, however, was beyond bland. It was this door that she found herself in front of in the wee hours of the morning, surprisingly sober considering her past but not circumstances.

"Jesus!" Anna swore, swinging the door open in agitation. "What the hell do you think you're--- _Brooke_!" her dark eyes widened in surprise, all signs of anger disappearing, only to be replaced with curiosity. "What are you doing here at two in the morning?"

Glancing down at the expensive watch on her thin wrist, Brooke cursed herself for not having checked the time before. "Is Felix here?"

"Um, yeah…" Anna said, curiosity leaking through as she ushered Brooke inside the mansion.

Taking the steps two at a time, Brooke quickly found her way to the room she had visited so many times before. She could find her way there with her eyes closed, and she rather felt like she was, the darkness engulfing the second floor. Snapping his bedroom door open, Brooke stormed in, rage gathering as she remembered why she was there. As if he sensed her presence, just like old times, Felix sat up automatically, his smoldering eyes opening sleepily, a small smile on his face. For a second, Brooke thought about what the "old times" were like, to just crawl into bed with him at times like this. But a sudden, sickly sensation struck her thin body, jolting her back to the present, which was **_very_** different from any old times they could have.

"What happened that night, Felix?" she asked quietly, an appeal in her large green eyes.

"What are you talking about, Brooke?" he asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes with his fists. Brooke thought vaguely that if what happened is what she thought happened, his fists wouldn't be the only ones in contact with that face.

"That night, a few weeks ago, where I woke up…"

"Naked and in bed with me? I think that's pretty self-explanatory, Brooke," his signature cocky grin slid across his face, but Brooke wasn't charmed by him the way she once was. Actually, she wondered what she **_ever_** saw in him.

"I know. I just… did we _really_ have sex?" she sighed hopelessly, combing her dark tresses back with her fingers. Her hope of having this all be one giant misunderstanding was being dashed quickly.

"Yeah. I didn't realize you were that drunk, Brooke…" he shrugged apologetically. She could feel her anger flood quickly into her body, rage filling the balloon that hope had deflated.

"Didn't realize I was **_that_** drunk? For me to even consider speaking to you, I'd have to have drunken myself into a stupor!" she spat venomously, eyes shining with hatred.

"Well, you're in my bedroom at two o'clock in the morning, and you don't look too drunk now. Speaking of, why _has _Tree Hill's party princess reformed? Don't tell me. Saint Lucas?" he sneered.

"Lucas and I broke up," she stated simply, swallowing the large lump in her throat.

"So what, you're here for a rebound?"

"Oh God!" she screamed, disgusted. "That is **the** farthest thing from my mind, especially not with an asshole like you," she raged, racing out of the room and leaving a stream of slammed doors in her wake.

"I believe that's strike three," a smooth voice snickered from his bathroom doorway.

"Shut up Anna," Felix snarled, turning over in his bed and burrowing his head until the covers.

------------

Three in the morning, and he still wasn't feeling it. Lucas Scott had come to the club that night in hopes of forgetting about Brooke and their beautiful relationship which had effectively been shot to hell in the matter of hours. Even as the hours wore on, and he _still_ didn't feel like partying, he convinced himself that he just needed to get readjusted. Now it was the wee hours of the morning, and he had a gorgeous girl all over him, and he still just kind of wished he stayed home.

She had been there, of course. Part of him had just _known_ that Brooke would be there, and he wasn't going to lie to himself and say that that wasn't part of the reason why he went. She kept her eyes cast downwards for most of the night, but every once in a while, he would look over and they would make eye contact that neither was able to maintain. He could feel Haley's angry gaze boring into his back, and wished that he could do something to fix all this. He would then have to remind himself that this wasn't **_his _**fault, this wasn't his mess to clean up. Not this time.

_Something was wrong. It was obvious, just from the knock on his door. More accurately, the fact that she'd knocked at all. In all his years of being best friends (and more...) with Brooke Davis, she had only once knocked on his bedroom door. This had let to some awkward run-ins that made for embarrassing stories later on, but somehow they had persevered. Now that they were dating, Lucas didn't see any reason for Brooke to start knocking now, but nevertheless, the dainty tapping of fists on the glass panes of his doors alerted him to her presence._

_She seemed smaller than usual, protectively cradling her midriff. Without the bold air about her, Brooke just seemed to shrink. It was this air that made her seem so much taller, so worthy of respect and admiration from their peers. Stripped of this, Brooke stood in all her vulnerability on his doorstep and he wanted nothing more than to take her into his arms and restore it._

_"Hey babe. What's wrong?" he asked, pulling her into a hug. She was much stiffer than usual, but held on much longer, as if this was the last awkward hug she would ever receive from him. _

_"It's… ah… um… let's sit," she sputtered, gesturing towards his bed. He plopped down casually, but she stood awkwardly. Hovering slightly in the air over the bed, she spun on her heel and perched on the computer chair. _

_"What's going on Cheery?" _

_There was hesitation in her bright green eyes, darkness clouding over her face. It was never Brooke's style to beat around the bush, but in this situation, she wasn't thinking much about staying true to form. However, the words slid out before she could stop them, weigh them, think about what to say. "I'm pregnant."_

_A moment of shocked silence hung in the air. It appeared that not even Brooke knew which words were going to come out. Lucas choked, breaking the quiet. _

_"Wha—oh my God… what are we going to do?" he jumped up from the bed, pacing slightly._

_"Lucas…" Brooke sighed, shoulders slumped, preparing herself for her greatest defeat._

_"Wha--- oh, Brooke, oh my God," he was babbling, which was totally her territory. Kneeling down, he took her hands in his and placed a light kiss to the back of each. "Don't worry, okay? Everything's going to work out fine. I'll be there for you, you won't have to go through this alone." _

_Her eyes welled up with tears, but he continued. "What do you want to do? We'll have to keep it, you know how I feel about abortions," he babbled, the pain in his eyes clearly reflecting thoughts of his own childhood, the circumstances of his own birth. "Will you marry me, Brooke?"_

_"**What?**" she blurted. _

_"Well, we're going to be having a baby. We're going to be parents. We love each other, so why not?" his eyes were worried, but patient, and trusting, and loving, and Brooke hated herself._

_"No…no, I'm having a baby… I'm going to be a mother… Luke, you aren't going to be a father…" she choked, the tears sliding down her cheeks at rapid speeds. His thumb automatically jumped out to wipe them away, but as the impact of her words hit him, he froze. _

_"It's… it's not mine?" he asked, and the tears in his voice mirrored the ones in her eyes. Brooke opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. That said enough to him. A perfect tear formed in the corner of his eye, trembling on the lid before dropping in a straight line down his face. Brooke's hand rose to push it away, but he had risen, leaving her hand fumbling in the air. Turning quietly and walking into his bathroom, shutting the door behind him, all Brooke could hear was the tiny _click_ of the lock. Then she heard the noise, the one she had heard so few times before but would recognize it anywhere. As he cried, she let herself out through the backdoor. _

Shaking his head and willing away the tear forming behind his eye, Lucas tried to get back into the partying spirit. He was still plagued by emotions, but this time it was guilt. In that instant, he knew what he had to do. He had to see Brooke. He had told her that she wouldn't have to go through this alone, and he'd _meant_ it. If only he could look at her without feeling like his heart was being wrenched out.

------------

"Miss Davis? The doctor's ready to see you," the kindly matron called from the receptionist desk. Brooke's knuckles were white, hands clenched tightly around the metal armrests of the tiny chair. This was it, this was her last chance. Her last chance to salvage the rest of her life, her relationship with Lucas. This was her last chance for some semblance of the truth to reconstruct her.

"Aren't you a little young for a pregnancy test?" the doctor asked disapprovingly, but faltered under the teen's withering gaze. Brooke fought to stay calm, knowing that the fluorescent lighting and buzzing noises of the doctor's office was her last chance. She was already on strike two, and this was where it counted. If she wasn't really pregnant, this had all been for nothing, but that was a price Brooke Davis was willing to pay.

------------

_Hey guys. Sorry it's been taking me so long to update lately, but I've got a lot on my plate. Hopefully this chapter wasn't too horrible, but please review and let me know!_

_Thanks for reading!_

_Xo Sam_


	30. It Never Turns Out How We Thought

This is absolutely for Maggie. I would be lost over in the Cruel Intentions section if she hadn't come with me.

**At the Heart of It All**

_Chapter Thirty_

It Never Turns Out How We Thought It Would

Vaguely, she wondered how long it was humanly possible to stare at the display on her cell phone. Considering that she had plugged in into it's charger to avoid the horrifying prospect of it dying, Brooke Davis concluded that it was probably that she could watch her cell phone for an incoming call until the day she died. Grimly she thought that if the results came back positive, this _would_ be the day she died.

Brooke had never considered an abortion. Something about it seemed so wrong to her, especially after having known Lucas for so long. Karen and Brooke had always had a very strong bond, and if the older woman hadn't been on the other side of the planet, the perky brunette would've confided at least part of her dilemma to the understanding woman she had always viewed as a mother. However, because her story consisted of cheating on Lucas, being really drunk, and sleeping with an asshole, she would probably omit a few detailed. Then again, getting impregnated by an asshole was kind of Karen's area of expertise. Knowing what a wonderful person Lucas Scott was, and knowing just as well that he had almost not been born in the first place, she knew that she could never get an abortion. She just thought that if she acknowledged that she was pregnant but simply refused to care, that it would all miraculously go away.

Her heart ached a little when she thought of Karen Roe, so oblivious to the turmoil in her hometown. Since she had left for New Zealand, it seemed that everything set in stone had been flipped upside down. Brooke and Lucas, best friends forever, had dated and broken up and weren't speaking at all. Brooke and Peyton, sworn rivals, were now best friends. Haley James, Tree Hill High's own Tutor Girl was now involved with golden boy Nathan. Felix and Brooke had broken up, Anna had walked back into Lucas's life and it was his turn to shoot her down.

"Open the door, Tigger!" Haley called from the other side of the door. Brooke looked up, startled. Since when was Haley there?

"Hurry up, B. Davis! This shit is heavy!" Peyton chimed in, and Brooke was even more taken aback by then. She and Peyton had yet to take the training wheels off their friendship, but she already felt closer to her than she ever had. It was just still a little odd to hear her voice being the one to rupture the quiet.

"What the hell? Guys, what's up?" asked Brooke, completely bewildered as she took in the sight of her two best girl friends. Haley held a giant grocery bag, and Peyton's arms were loaded full of movies, CDs, and pillows. It was obvious that Haley James had the lighter load, but that was typical. It seemed so natural to have the two of them standing there side by side, even though the two had barely spoken to each other before last night.

"Sleepover!" they squealed in unison, pushing past Brooke. Instantaneously, it seemed the brunette's formerly immaculate room was transformed into a gigantic mess. A comfortable, gigantic mess. Minutes flew by, full of chatter and laughter, but the room when deathly silent at the ringing of a phone.

"Oh my gosh, I didn't realize that much time passed," Brooke gasped, tentatively reaching a hand out towards her phone, as if it would bite.

"Well that was our goal," Haley twittered, and Peyton laughed slightly. However, it seemed as if the two girls were just as on-edge as their best friend, waiting with baited breath for the news that could change all of their lives.

"Yes, this is Brooke Davis… I'm fine, thank you… Yes… I see… thank you… I'll be sure to do that," Brooke sighed and snapped her phone shut. Her bright green eyes slid closed for a moment.

"Well!" Haley blurted.

"I'm not pregnant," Brooke grinned, tears forming in her eyes.

"WOO HOO!" Peyton and Haley did a little victory dance among the pillows and blankets, dissolving into giggles as Haley fell flat on her ass.

"Well, what now?" Peyton asked.

"Now, we watch movies," Brooke said with finality, relief etched (perhaps permanently) into her pretty face. However, Peyton's words struck a much deeper chord within her…

What was going to happen next?

-------

_Hey guys. Sorry that was shorter than usual, but I'm really out of it right now, and I just felt like posting something for y'all. Hopefully you don't hate it too much, but I figured that maybe if I do shorter chapters, I can get them out quicker. _

_Thanks for reading!_

_Xo Sam_


	31. Everybody Loves A Happy Ending

At the Heart of It All

_Chapter Thirty One_

Everybody Loves a Happy Ending

It felt so strange to have her fingertip pressed against the glowing white plastic. It felt strange to be ringing the doorbell at all, of the house that had been a second home to her for most of her life. Once upon a time, Brooke Davis would have just pushed open the light blue door into Lucas's bedroom and nobody would bat an eye. Yet as she pressed her squarely filed purple nail against the translucent button, she knew that this was what she had to do to gain entry into the home she loved far more dearly than her own. Pressing firmly and gulping slightly, the brunette waited patiently for Lucas to open the front door. Waiting patiently for a glare to greet her, mixed with a bit of pity, and maybe even sympathy. It was this look that broke her more than anything he could ever say. Brooke Davis, despise her many hardships, was nobody's charity case. Pity was for those who needed it, and she was **not** pitiful. But even this contempt, she would be willing to swallow, if it meant they could just talk again.

However, as the door swung open, squeaking slightly on its old hinges, it was not a handsome blonde that greeted her. Instead, a petite middle-aged woman with thick auburn hair opened the door, delight etched upon her features.

"BROOKE! Honey, how are you?" Karen enveloped the younger girl in a hug, and it was hard to tell who was more excited.

"Oh, Karen, I missed you," Brooke said, and it was more than a formality. Karen Roe was a presence taken for granted in the life of Brooke Davis. Only when she was gone did she realize that the warm, motherly figure of the cook was the calm in the storm of cheering, and games, and parties, and drama. All that Brooke wanted now was calm. "When did you get back?"

"I got in last night. I must say, I was surprised that you weren't at the airport with Luke," Karen said, and her unwavering stare made Brooke squirm. "But he told me that you had other plans."

The head cheerleader and queen of the social scene was anything but the night before. Rather than a raging party or exciting basketball game, Brooke had found herself in sweatpants, curled up with pretzels and The O.C., season one, on DVD. Lines of confusion marred her forehead for a moment, before Brooke realized what Luke had done for her. He hadn't told his mother any of it, and Karen had been dropped, oblivious, into a changed world.

"Yeah, um, cheer meeting," Brooke shrugged helplessly. "I'm sorry. I would've been there if I could."

"Well, one former Ravens cheer captain to another, I understand how important they are," Karen laughed, drawing herself up with faux importance before giggling.

"So… uh… is Luke here?" Brooke asked nervously, forgetting her habit of scuffing the toes of her right foot against the floor when she was feeling awkward. This was a habit that Karen had not forgotten, one that she probably never would. Brooke Davis was the daughter she never had, and she was more than curious why she was no nervous about seeing the son that she did. However, she got the distinct impression that it was long and complicated, and not exactly the homecoming she wanted. Mercifully, she just raised an eyebrow curiously before ushering the pretty brunette inside.

"No, Luke's out playing ball with Nathan right now," Karen sat down at the table, and Brooke noticed that it was littered with pictures of beautiful beaches, mansions, wildlife and a smiling Karen and Andy.

"What are you doing?" she asked curiously.

"Scrap booking. I know you want to join me," Karen gestured for Brooke to sit down opposite her. Plopping eagerly into the chair, Brooke's eyes shone happily.

"You know me too well," she grinned.

"You can't know someone _too_ well," Karen teased. Brooke laughed, but a sadness lingered behind her eyes. Comprehension settled across the older woman's face as she though she targeted the problem. "I know why you're so upset Brooke."

"You do?" Brooke's head shot up in alarm.

"I spoke to your mother while I was away," Karen patted Brooke's hand sympathetically. Brooke could feel the small hope that had formed within her sinking. For a moment, she thought Lucas really did tell his mother, his original confidante, what had gone on between them. If he did, and she was still welcomed into the home, it meant that Karen loved her regardless.

"She told me about moving to California. And I want to let you know that you aren't going anywhere. You're far too important to this family to be on the opposite side of the country. She may be your real mother, but I do feel like you're my own daughter, and it's only fair that you should stay where your friends are. We reached an agreement. You're allowed to stay for school, but during summer and long breaks, you may find yourself west-coast bound."

Brooke tried to summon appreciation for what Karen had done for her. The tears forming in her bright green irises seemed to be ones of relief and happiness, but apprehension and fear might just be a better way to put it.

* * *

It was long after nightfall when an exhausted and sweaty Lucas Scott made his way home. Grinning slightly, he remembered his conversation with his younger brother. The boy didn't even realize it yet, but he was head over heels in love with Haley James. Lucas, for one, was looking forward to seeing that revelation. Even more so, it was nice to get caught up in someone else's problems while playing his favorite sport. It made all his own dramas seem to fade away, if only for a little while. However, as he shut the door and turned to collapse upon his bed, he found that all his problems came rushing back at him.

Namely, because his bed was already occupied.

Blinking slowly up at him, Brooke smiled awkwardly. When she spoke, her voice was hoarse, as if she had been internally crying. "Hi."

"Hi?" he meant to state, but it came out more like a question. A number of doubts and puzzlements floated within him.

"I'm, uh, not having a baby," Brooke said conversationally. Lucas almost laughed at the flippancy with which she said it, but then fear struck his heart.

"You're having an—"

"No, no!" the brunette rushed to assure him, seeing the torment of his childhood flashing before their eyes. "I'm just not pregnant."

"Well that's good to know," he said, ice edging his voice. He was relieved for the girl he had loved for so long, in so many different stages, but it didn't change what she had done.

"Look, I, uh…"

"You…?" his cold stare bit into her, and she drew strength from it. He was being cruel, but she had been it first. Brooke Davis could take what she could dish, but before she locked herself in a room with Peyton, Haley and chick flicks to lick her wounds, she would draw forth the poison.

"I'm sorry. I can't remember what I did with Felix, but I'm sorry for it. I'm sorry because I hurt myself, and because I hurt you, and that was **never** my intention. It was a _skanky_ move on my part, and… I can't believe I just called myself a skank," her voice cracked, and her hand went out to swipe at the tears trembling on the lids of her eyes.

"You're not a skank," Lucas muttered, looking anywhere but at her.

"The truth is that I'm in love with you, and that _scares _me, because… because you know me like no one else. You know everything about me, even the parts that aren't so lovable. I was scared of surrendering even more to you. But I, ah… well, I guess I don't have to worry about that anymore. I'm sorry I ambushed you here, I just wanted you to know the truth."

She rose shakily, sending him a watery smile before slipping out through his bedroom door. He hovered over the spot for a moment, reeling over what he had just been told. The way he saw it now, there were two options: let her go or go after her. Be hurt or be happy. Without a second thought, he raced after her.

"BROOKE!"

Brooke turned cautiously on the spot. He didn't need to degrade her further, he really didn't. Anything he could possibly say to her was nothing worse than what she had already told herself. Yet a small part of her couldn't deny that it was thrilled to be called back. Even if it was to be scorned, that would be a few moments longer to hear his voice, to look into his eyes, to be around him.

"It's okay," Lucas said, and even he looked surprised at his words. However, nothing could parallel the shock written plainly across Brooke's beautiful face.

"It's _what_?"

"It's okay. Look, what happened with Felix was a mistake, and it sucked, but… you know, people mess up sometimes. And it's okay."

"No, no it's not," Brooke said, taking two steps back as Luke moved closer to her. "It can't be. It's just too much to forgive," she cried.

"Well that's just too bad," he smiled down at her, brushing a chocolate strand away from her face. "Because I forgive you. I love you, Brooke Davis."

Launching herself forward at him, before he could have a chance to take back his declaration, Brooke captured Lucas's lips in a searing kiss. He smiled against her mouth, and she could feel herself grinning back. This was how it was meant to be. The two of them, together as much as they could be, always and forever.

They weren't the only people who knew so, Karen Roe thought, as she pulled the blinds closed with a contented smile tugging at her own lips.

* * *

_Hey guys. I'm sorry that I left you hanging for so long, but I had a challenge to finish lol. If you haven't already, please check out my story **Beyond Good and Evil**. And please, please, please review. The only reason I found time to update is because I've been under house arrest with a virus for over a week, and well, reviews would make me feel much better._

_Thanks for reading!_

_Xo Sam_


	32. For Good

_It's almost been an entire year since I posted "Saddest Girl Story", which is the opening chapter to this story. This has been a year of ups and downs for me and very sporadic postings for you guys. I thank you immensely for sticking with me, even when I'm at my least reliable. I owe this story a lot, and I owe you guys even more. It's been an amazing ride, and I do hope you guys stay with me as I venture out into other, different kinds of stories. This chapter is for Maggie, both because I love her to death, and she's been on me for it for months. Hun, you knowyou're the best thing I got out of this story, and its as much yours as it is mine. I don't think I have any storiesthat are just mine anymore lol. This story opened up this whole different world for me, and I've met the most amazing people on here. Special thanks to Manda Panda, Ella ,Rianator, Mariahka, and Mirage... none of whom actually read this, but hey, who cares? Lol. For everyone who reviews, you've been incredible, and I'll miss you dearly. Hopefully I'll see you on my next brucas?_

_And now, what you've been waiting for quite a while for…closure. I've gotten so much from this story, and I've really grown with it, I think. I love it a lot, and I hope it's been done justice by this fluffy ending lol. _

* * *

**At the Heart of It All**

_The Final Chapter_

For Good

"Do you think it's safe to enter?" he asked hesitantly, and she cast a barely interested look in his direction before redirecting her attention to the television. Brooke Davis honestly wasn't too interested in what was happening on the other side of the mahogany door. Unfortunately for Lucas Scott, the other side of the door contained his bedroom, his brother, and his girlfriend's best friend. He was most definitely interested.

"Tutor Girl's pure as the driven snow, baby, it's not like you're going to walk in on them post-coital. They're probably cuddling or something."

"I heard that Tigger, and I didn't appreciate it too much," Haley emerged from the bedroom, Nathan trailing close behind her. She smoothed her light brown hair down, shifting to adjust her shirt as she glared at her friend. Brooke shrugged innocently, patting the space beside her for Haley to sit down.

"Hey! That's my seat," Lucas protested.

"Hey! Too bad," she laughed, and an amused smile curled at the corners of his lips.

"This is our friendship movie, Lucas. We must sit together during it," Haley nodded vigorously, tossing her arms across her friend's shoulders as they both stared up at him, puppy-dog eyes in full force.

"Okay, okay," he chuckled, holding his hands up in surrender. "Play ball?" he asked his younger brother, who nodded in response. They headed towards the door, when a little noise pulled them back.

"Ahem," Brooke cleared her throat pointedly. Heading back obligatorily, Lucas dropped three small pecks, first upon her cheek, then her lips, then finally on her forehead, before he was out the door. Brooke couldn't hide the giddy grin he left on her face, and she didn't even want to try. The beautiful brunette had never had the easiest life, but Lucas had always been there to make it better. Now, it was more solid. He would _always_ be there, and he would _always_ make it better.

And she would _always_ love him.

The realization was kind of scary, when she really thought about it. Brooke was never one for commitment. She'd always thought she didn't have what it took to make a relationship work. It's not like she'd ever had the greatest models. Even Karen Roe, the greatest, and strongest, and most wonderful woman she'd ever known couldn't force it. But it was different not. Brooke wasn't Karen, much as she would like to be, and Lucas sure as hell wasn't Dan, praise the Lord. They had something different.

"You happy, Tig?" Haley's light brown eye bored into Brooke's green ones, and she realized what she must look like. She couldn't wipe the silly smile off her face as she stared at the door he had exited through minutes earlier.

It had been three months since Brooke and Lucas had (re)officially become "Brooke and Lucas", or Brucas, depending on who you asked. Haley was most definitely responsible for the second, but it was just so cute that it stuck. And ever since then, the goofy grins were more than common.

She paused for a moment, but not because she was uncertain. For the first time in her life, she knew the answer right away. There weren't other factors to consider, no dark cloud where she needed a silver lining. She had Lucas, in every way she could possibly want him. A best friend, a boyfriend, a lover.

"More than ever," she grinned, and Haley squealed in excitement for her friend. "And what about you, Tutor Girl?"

"What about me?" she asked coyly.

"Don't even! Put me out of my misery, _please_ Haley!"

"Have you ever considered being an actress, Brooke?" Haley quirked an eyebrow at her, and Brooke's face lit up.

"I've thought about it once or twice. I've always wanted to fall in love with a co-star. Do you think Luke would want to act too?" puzzlement fell over her face before clearing quickly. An accusing look took over. "Oh, nice try James, but you are not getting off the hook so easily."

"Who's trying to get off the hook? You have quite the flair for drama," she snorted.

"I'm addicted to dramatics, I used to confuse the two for love," Brooke looked down, her eyes clouding over for a moment. A concerned Haley was about to question when she looked up again, the moment passing. "But now that's over. So, c'mon Hales, inquiring minds want to know."

Haley smiled wryly at the phrase her friend tossed at her. She could distinctly remember saying those exact words to Brooke months earlier. Before the era of Brucas, either real or pretend, before Nathan Scott was anything to her, back when Jake Jagelski was her greatest prospect, upon whom she'd pinned all her hopes, and when Peyton Sawyer was still just that bitchy cheerleader. My, how times had changed. That party, loud and rambunctious, seemed light years away.

"He is my boyfriend," Haley confirmed with a nod, unable to help the tiny smile tugging at her face. The two had danced around labels for the longest time, but it was obvious to everyone that it was inevitable.

"People who are meant to be together always find their way to each other in the end," Brooke sighed happily, leaning back against the couch. She loved being right. She had called Naley before the two had ever even really been introduced. Luke totally owed her twenty bucks. But he _could _make it up in other ways…

Shaking her head to clear it of the naughty thoughts that had just been taking over, she tried to focus on what her friend was saying. Haley had attention radar, probably built in from tutoring. She seemed to know exactly when anybody would zone out. But right now, she seemed to be zoning off herself, babbling away at God knows what. Looks like boys reeked havoc on the emotions of even the smartest of girls.

"… and yeah, I guess I'm happy too," Haley admitted, a light blush creeping up her neck. Brooke let out a triumphant cheer, squeezing Haley tight before releasing her, and falling back against the couch. She waited for the usual snark about controlling herself, or circulation, or suffocation, or something, but Haley sat still, the same little smile playing across her face. Brooke sat up; ramrod straight, her bright green eyes opening in realization.

"Do you _love_ him?" she asked incredulously, watching keenly for reaction. She wasn't disappointed. Haley paled, a deathly white, her eyes widening significantly. She swallowed repeatedly as she tried to sputter a denial.

"You do! Oh my God, Haley, you love him!" Brooke jumped off the couch, fully prepared for the victory dance. Her arms rose above her head, her hips swaying rapidly from side to side as her mind raced.

"Brooke, don't be ridiculous—"

"You think he's _gorgeous_, you want to _kiss_ him, you want to _hug_ him, you want to _smooch_ him, you want to _love_ him… oh wait, you already do!" Brooke bounced up and down, dancing wildly.

"Okay, Brooke- one, shut up. And two, no more Miss Congeniality for you," Haley crossed her arms defensively, blushing furiously. Deflated, Brooke plopped down next to her.

"Okay, I may have just killed that Kodak moment, but that's not the point. Hales, I don't mean to rush you. I just want you to be happy. Even though I'm on his case half the time, Nate's a great guy, and I can tell that he makes you happy. And he's even stopped being such a jackass all the time. If that's not influenced by you, I don't know what is. I just want you to fall in love, because I want you to be as happy as Luke's made me."

"So maybe I'm a little in love," Haley admitted with a soft smile. Brooke jumped up again, laughter bursting from her throat.

"I KNEW IT! You want to _hug_ him, you want to _kiss_ him, you want to _marry_ him and have a thousand little mini-Nathans! Oh God, wait, maybe you don't want to do that. I definitely don't want you to do that. Please don't do that Haley. No more Nathans," her green eyes went wide, and panic was evident. "Although they'll probably also be horny bastards like their father, so that'll result in tons of pregnancies, and hopefully they'll have high standards like their daddy too, so then the population of the world will be much more attractive, and—"

"BROOKE!"

"Sorry," she said sheepishly. "I got a little carried away there."

"Little bit," Haley responded dryly. They sat in silence for a few more minutes, before she spat out the burning question. "Ehh, Brooke… how do you know Nathan's a…"

"Horny bastard?" Brooke asked with amusement in her voice, but saw Haley's face fall. "Oh God, no, not from personal experience. Just from observing you two."

Haley gasped, and Brooke laughed. "Oh come on Hales, you guys are all over each other, constantly. You are definitely the biggest exhibitionist I've ever seen in a virgin. Way to go, Tutor Girl."

Haley crossed her arms again, but couldn't hide the smile. It seemed like all anybody was doing lately was smiling. It was a change Brooke could definitely get on board with.

* * *

She winced at the creaking of the old floorboards. It had been completely silent in the Roe/Scott/Davis residence, and Brooke had thought the coast was clear. The stupid trick step got her every time. The soft snoring from Karen's bedroom let her know that her mission hadn't been spoiled just yet.

This was recurring for them now. Moving into Karen and Lucas's home after her family had left had been no great transition for her to make. She'd practically lived there before. There was a perk she hadn't initially foreseen though. Each night, after most of the world had gone to sleep, she would sneak into his bedroom. Hers was a perfectly nice one, but it lacked the comfort she got from his. And, there was a certain tall broody blonde there waiting for her. He really made all the difference.

Opening the door quietly, she slipped inside, and came face to face with him. Her arms wound around his neck as she launched herself onto him, sending them both stumbling back towards the bed.

"Happy to see me?" he groaned, shifting their positions so they could lie side by side. He softly brushed a chocolate strand of hair out of her eyes as he peered down at her lovingly.

"You know it, Broody," she said, leaning up to place a light peck on his lips which he promptly deepened, his tongue stealing into her mouth. Minutes later, they broke away breathless, and she curled up against him, leaning her head on his muscled chest.

"What are you thinking about?" she whispered after they had sat in silence for long moments. It wasn't an uncomfortable one though. They were both content just to be together.

"You," he said honestly.

"That's always good," she laughed slightly.

"I was just looking down at you, and thinking about how I always want to be like this," he continued, his fingers playing through the silky strands of her hair.

"I want that too," she said hoarsely, emotion welling in her eyes.

"I want everything with you," he returned.

"That's good," she purred, leaning up to capture his lips in a passionate kiss that sent them both reeling. "Do you think you can be quiet?" she asked suggestively.

"Is that a challenge?" he smirked down at her.

"You bet your ass it's a challenge," her smirk mirrored his, and he wondered when she's gotten so good at that.

Hours later, the sun was rising, but neither had slept a wink, as he collapsed on top of her. Their sweat slicked skin pressed them together in the most delicious of ways, and she smiled brilliantly up at him.

"I'm in love with you, Lucas," she whispered, her fingers weaving through the golden strands of his hair.

"I love you too Brooke. God, I don't think I'll ever get tired of saying that," he smiled softly.

"Good, because I'll never be tired of hearing it. But I just really want you to know that, Luke. Whatever happens between us, or to us, or whatever. People who are meant to be together always _are_ in the end, and even if we aren't, I'll still love you. I always will."

"Then I guess it's really convenient that we _were_ meant for each other, huh?" he pressed another kiss to her already bruised lips, smiling with pride that he had done that to her. "I think that deep down, I've always known that."

"Yeah," she breathed, still slightly awed.

"Hey, Haley's in love with your brother," she broke the silence that fell with that little tidbit, shifting the subject in the way only Brooke Davis could. He chuckled, and she could feel it rumbling through his naked chest.

"That's great, seeing as he's been in love with her for a while."

"I told her not to have too many of his kids though. The world can only handle so many Nathan Scotts," Brooke giggled as Lucas kissed her nose.

"One day, we'll get married," he said, surprising her a little. "And then we can have a dozen kids."

"I think I'd like that, Mr. Scott," she grinned.

"I know I would," he replied. "Now, aren't you going to jump up and run to tell Haley that Nathan's in love with her?"

Normally, that would be exactly what she would do. But right now, Brooke felt warm in a way she never had before. She was no longer scared of the future, or fighting the present. This was exactly where she was supposed to be, and she had no desire to change that. Not now, not ever.

"I'd rather just stay with you, if you don't mind."

"I don't mind."

* * *

_And there it is. Thank you all for reading, sticking with me, and if I want to take a leaf out of Schwan's book "taking this journey" with the characters. It's definitely been an experience, and I can't thank you all enough. So please review and let me know what you think, and thanks for everything. _

_x Sam_


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